I think where hours is only useful is keeping a pecking order that assists progression. A better way was the old way, basic CPL/IR for short haul, build up some hours and jet time to allow you to apply for anything long haul. Not for any safety reason, just keeps the flow. It's stopped now though.
Not sure I follow completely your train of thought. Some moons ago I was kicking a B767, or was it a B757, around the Greek islands. IFR but very VMC and do your own thing type of flying. In the days when guests were allowed I had a B747 TRE from a fellow company on the jump seat. (He had to go on holiday some where and was slumming it with us.) He really enjoyed watching the operation and all that it involved and entailed. I was doing 30 sectors a month with one end such places and home base a multi rwy ILS'd nest. He was doing 8 sectors a month all into ILS nests. He was also a senior honcho in the national union. The union still had the dinosaurian idea that bigger meant more dosh. As a TRE my salary was 1/2 his. Who earned the crust more? He also admitted that B747 was a doddle to fly. There was a station manager at both ends to make all the commercial decisions. All he to do was get it off the ground and back on again. He thought our days were more fun. I asked him to discuss the merits of the union philosophy about salaries. Stunned silence.
Back to the thread. I don't agree you need more experience to be F/O on long-haul. I suggest that the multi-sector short-haul environment has PM working far harder, and might more often need an authoritative advocacy input than the minimum long-haul drone on & drone on type of 3 crew flying.
The thing is: 1500hrs for a RHS jet job is not a solution to cure the problem. It's the quality of the flying you did before you climb aboard your first airliner. These days are gone, but I was so lucky to end up in a B732 via 5 years of single engine GA flying, Biz-jet, Biz-twin prop, single crew twin prop air taxi, crop spraying: Only then did I sprout epaulets. and I felt very green, but hell I learnt fast.
As someone has said before, the new world is irreversible; true, but purely 1500hrs ain't the answer to all the woe's. It depends on the quality of those 1500hrs. If there has been quality training; and there in lies the rub/debate, 250hrs of focused training can be enough with the right person. 1500hrs with the wrong person still doesn't cut it.
Last edited by RAT 5; 5th Nov 2014 at 21:20.