Ok. Firstly I don't "dismiss" stressful situations. The point I was making was that the age of cadets is fairly irrelevant in how they are handled. Almost every working day (for the last 38 years) I have landed on a runway where somebody or other had an accident. Age is rarely a factor in those accidents. Poor training, poor CRM, and poor monitoring, often are though.
It is the application of better and more relevant competency based training, as well as continuous improvements in selection and monitoring that reduces the incidences of accidents and serious incidents. The idea that "life experience" rather than "relevant experience and training" is a suitable substitute, is simply wishful thinking I am afraid.
I am always impressed by the standards of pilots who have successfully graduated through the cadet process. It is a very steep learning curve. The standards expected are high, consistent, and demanding. Training pilots expect to see a high degree of application and commitment from those cadets. If they don't, then it is unlikely the cadet would have presented to an airline in the first place, and even if that were not the case, it is very unlikely they would progress much further. That is where the focus lies. It is of precious little interest to those training staff how many years somebody spent in I.T, or in the Police force, or how many divorces they have under their belt if those primary issues are not being met. It is probably of precious little interest even when they are!
To reiterate the point, it is about good quality training and learning in the specific competencies required for the role. It has to be! A twenty year old cadet will have whatever "life experience" they acquire 10 years later, just as a 30 year old cadet may have now. However, it is simply not relevant and nor does it substitute for the required competencies.
Last edited by Bealzebub; 11th Jun 2015 at 16:51.