Never really understood why flying hours are such a big deal. Surely the number of TOs and Ldgs are a much better guide to a pilot's level of experience?
Agreed completely. The facts it's always been hours used to count experience doesn't mean it's the best way.
No question a short-haul pilot doing a 4 sector day of 7 hours total time gains far more experience than a long-haul guy doing one 7 hour sector. Most incidents occur in land, descent or on the ground so I make that 4 times more experience for the short-haul guy.
For the equivalent skill level, a guy with 10,000 hours short-haul is vastly more experienced in real terms than 10,000 long haul hours.