Everyone in aviation knows that the most dangerous pilot is the one with 500 hours. Five hundred hours is a point where, too often, a combination of arrogance and stupidity outweigh good judgement....and bad decisions are made.
Speaking from 40 years of flying, with an accumulated 25,000 flying hours, here's what I think makes a great pilot:
EXPERIENCE, EXPERIENCE, EXPERIENCE!!!
You can't become a Doctor, a Lawyer, or even a formula-one driver with only a high IQ, and you can't become a pilot either. Intelligence is the starting point.....
An intelligent young wannabe should then attend and graduate from an excellent flying school (air force or recognized aviation college preferred).
A job is then attained where skills are honed and experience is gained. Then the better and more experienced one becomes, the more responsibility he/she takes on, flying bigger and bigger airplanes, carrying more and more passengers. An ATPL license from a first world country is then attained.
At this point if the young wannabe should end up upside down on a dark and dirty night he/she would have a clue on how to recover.
This prevents the rest of us in the industry from having to go into the simulator and practice stall recoveries (STALL RECOVERIES) because on several occasions an "intelligent" young wannabe, with poor training and no experience, couldn't recognize a stall and couldn't recover from it before disaster struck.....
A good pilot becomes a good pilot after years of poling around the sky making decisions and judgements, and then observing the outcome. Most times, things will work out nicely and soft touchdowns will ensue. But there will be other times when a decision will be regretted. Over the years, yes YEARS, as one hones their piloting skills, experience and understanding expand, and decisions become better and better.
Only then is one qualified to apply to an airline as an experienced pilot. Until that time he/she remains anything but qualified.
The accident statistics are there for all to study and observe. They speak for themselves.