I'm not saying all cadets are bad but when there are hundreds of people in G.A. with experience ready to step up, hiring cadets is not a good idea.
Actually, it is. The truth is that very few cadets are bad, they wouldn't get through the system if they were. GA, on the other hand, tends to mask a lack of skill with sheer flying hours and "experience" (although what help cruising around in the sunshine VFR is, is anyone's guess).
What most airline training departments find, is that taking a GA guy, sorting out all his bad habits, and then trying to teach him how to operate multi-crew while flying a faster, heavier aircraft, is a lot more difficult and expensive than just training a guy up from scratch.
The Jetstar Cadet program is possibly the most evil, cynical, and blatant grab for cash campain that the Australian professional pilot body has ever faced.
Funny then that there doesn't seem to be a shortage of applicants...
