Facts?..
As a commercial pilot I have, by the shortsightedness of others been forced to post this:
1: some posted: lion air is the cause of half the worlds 737 crashes. Factually not true and I am surprised no one has countered this. Look up Wikipedia or any other site on the history of 737 crashes, and you'll find that Lion air has crashed 2 737. One 737-400 and one today. No counting tail strikes as crashes. Because we are also not counting the gear collapses for example of other airlines. Crashes are crashes and not incidents. If you wanna count those start a new form.
2: the whole talk about pilots not being qualified... Less than 200 hours. Well I am equally stupefied that no one realizes that Most major airlines have their own flight school, and actually hire cadets straight into their airline after flight school with 0 ours. Your more likely to find a cadet at a major than at a private company. So your trying to tell me that all major airlines are at huuuuuuge risks cause they hire graduates from their own flight school???.??
3: Yes there is a pay to fly scheme at Lion Air. But equally at Ryan Air where pilot have to pay for they're own uniforms, food etc. Air Maroc (the national airline of morocco) is equally involved in these schemes, baltic air and many other airlines. Are they causing half the worlds 737 crashes cause of that? No.......
So what's the issue here? Too many people talking about something they know too little about. This situation is complicated, and many factors together have led to this accident as with every other In aviation.
Weather or not pay to fly is right is not e issue here. These pilots all hold a (European Commercial Pilot license) for the most as they are european expats, they have all passed a type rating in Europe, and fulfilled the Lion Air simulator examination and ground school as well. Last year, 32 cadets who passed the European type rating, failed the lion air sim check and where sent home. (This is factual)
It is the easy way out to blame a scheme on this. If the pilots made mistakes, the investigation will say so. But I don't believe you are a lessor pilot cause you found a way in!
When a plane crashed into the Hudson cause of birds, they were heroes cause everyone survived. When a plane crashed short of the runway cause of wind-shear (the airplane did not overrun, the fell short of) and everyone survived, the pilots aren't heroes? How biased can you be?
Keep an open mind an opinion till the investigation shows!