Originally Posted by
Tom a Hawk
I keep seeing people say that hours don't necessarily equal experience. They keep saying that 1000 hours is better than 1 hour 1000 times. So therefore the time requirement is meaningless.
It's not a time requirement. It's a requirement to have an ATP. The very fact that someone has an ATP means that they dont just have 1500 hours beating up the pattern in a 152.
1500TT
500 Cross Country
100 Night
75 Instrument
250 PIC including:
100 XC PIC
25 hours night PIC
Not to mention a written test and a demanding practical test which is the highest level of certification available from the FAA. It's no guarantee that someone with an ATP wouldn't make mistakes but I would say it's a pretty good bet that having two people with that certification in the cockpit would improve safety.
Full Disclosure: I exceeded those requirements before getting hired but don't have an ATP. If I were looking for a job now I would get it myself.
Well put man. To add to your comment. People are getting so short sighted. It's this instant gratification. I want it and need it now. If it weren't for that, people would see the good in this whole thing. I myself don't want to die, or leave behind a horrible life having killed an airplane full of people.
It's not just tooling around getting 1500hrs to obtain an ATP. It's the level of maturity you get to while doing so. It's not a perfect system or idea, but the best one yet. Since we as humans aren't responsible enough to admit when we aren't fit for the job, unfortunately the gov. has to. Never pretty but we as pilots have lowered the bar to a new low and now need someone to hold our hand. Pretty sad, but it may help until people start doing the right thing one day again.
The pilots in the colgan crash may have benefited from this rule. Sure, the F.O. flight instructed for a bit. But it was the Captain that really screwed the pooch. And he was HIRED with low time. Had he had to obtain an ATP BEFORE getting hired, he probably would have washed out. We all know the type. Should have never become a pilot. Just my opinion.