Originally Posted by rickair7777
Anyone who really believes that experience causes accidents should have their medical revoked on mental health grounds.
Experience doesn't cause accidents...the complacency many often get after obtaining experience is what causes accidents.
That said, your rebuke should have been stronger for the dude proclaiming "the looming pilot shortage" that is
NEVER GOING TO HAPPEN.
While I do not doubt newbie FOs cause added stress on captains, it is very important to note (if one is pulling the 'safety card') that no 121 accidents in
at least the last decade have been directly or indirectly attributed to a sub-1500 FO.
That would lead one to believe that a low-time FO, while perhaps not the ideal, ain't as big a compromise to safety of flight as some with an agenda would have others believe.
While captains shouldn't have to do basic IFR instruction, captains should take the initiative to mentor their FOs, given them helpful advice during a stressful transition to a new aircraft while treating them not not as lowly copilots but rather captains-in-training.
The ONLY thing possession of an ATP rating shows you is that the named person can pass a test. News flash...every single 121 fatality....HAD AN ATP in the cockpit! They didnt strip off their shirt, unfirrel their cape, and rescue everyone. Cuz the letters on the card dont make you a superhero.
You're exactly right, having an ATP doesn't make you a superhero...but it does show more than you can just "pass a test" (the same thing successfully completing a 121 proficiency check shows) - it shows that you have the
minimum level of experience the Administrator requires to hold an AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT rating.
/full disclaimer, started my 121 career with 1100tt and don't think its unreasonable for airline pilots to be required to have an AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOT license