Too many RHS guys think the transfer to LHS is very much being an above average handler and an excellent SOP operator. Indeed, with extensive SOP's for every occasion, and an ideal day the above criteria will more than satisfy a command upgrade assessment, even check ride. However, it is what goes on during a non-ideal day that matters. That is when experience is required, but not always available.
I flew with some excellent ex-cadet F/O's. By that I mean guys who jumped into RHS with 150hrs and now had 2 years and 1500hrs. One telling comment was how they preferred flying with the old farts on dodgy days, or even when just some deviation/discretion/alternative thinking was required. The OF's just got on with the job and used airmanship/common sense to square the circle and get the job done in a safe and acceptable manner. The lower experienced captains from the sausage factory hesitated; thought about what the book said; wondered if it was allowed; were nervous about what best to do, meanwhile the a/c was travelling on its merry way, perhaps not in the best manner. A command course can teach/groom/cultivate a new captain, but it can't inject experience and thinking processes. Those foundations should already be there, but they are not always. A good understanding of the a/c systems and how to operate them; a good understanding of SOP's and a sound leadership manner can be enough to pass the upgrade. Is it enough to be in command of a high intensive operation into a wide variety or airports in all seasons? For discussion.
In a previous life it was very noticeable that the command pass rate varied with the season. High pass rate in summer, much lower in winter. Yet, those companies that produce low expereince captains in the summer months, they having been F/O's in southerly bases, could then send them to become captains with a winter basing in the north. Is that a good idea? For discussion. I was very glad I'd spent a healthy time as an apprentice F/O in cold climes before being thrust up there with the responsibility to make the decisions. I was nervous, of course, but had the grounding. I'd hate to think how one must feel if they had only a winter ops book to fall back on; and no help from RHS.
It is not a simple matter and there is no simple answer, but it is not one to take too lightly either.
Last edited by RAT 5; 6th Apr 2014 at 13:13.