Originally Posted by 4runner
I'm willing to bet that those that disagree with the 1500 hour rule are those who have not yet acquired those magic numbers. And those who have the necessary experience probably realize that those hours do count for something. Kinda like people without a university degree that say "it's just a piece of paper", yet those of us who have a degree know that it amounts to more than 4 years. Sometimes the sum of all the parts equal more than their number.
It just may be that at least some of those who disagree with the 1500 hours are those who know pilots who have those numbers (...or more...) and still can’t do the job ... and very likely know of those who have not yet reached 1500 hours and are doing the job quite nicely ... thank-you-very-much.
I would suggest taking a step back, refocusing, and recognize that it is the “necessary experience” that is necessary – and that this experience is completely different from any preconceived number of hours. At the risk of sounding redundant ... it isn’t the number of hours that is the problem ... it’s the experience gained during whatever flight time is logged. If the “necessary experience” is gained – the number of hours it took is practically irrelevant ... as it is the experience that is, and should be, the focus. Unfortunately, I know of more than a few “pilots” who have more than 1500 hours (some substantially more), and I wouldn’t let them take my airplane around the traffic pattern!
I’m suspicious that you may not know anyone who actually spent “more than 4 years” getting that 4-year piece of paper.