Originally Posted by
USMCFLYR
Then you must have missed the many posts on the forum about the differences people have encountered between the varying FSDOs and DPEs across the country.
Nope, I know that all too well.
That's an oversight issue the Administrator needs to address.
And I believe that it is a combination of the two. Experience is subjective. How do you measure it? The ATP was supposedly designed to take into account a certain level of experience (x/c time, PIC time, night time, etc...).
Yes, experience is
quite subjective.
Somebody who got hired at 300hrs to do pipeline patrol until they hit 1500hrs has a different experience set than somebody who got a right seat job in a Citation at 300hrs until he hit 1500, who has a different experience set than the guy who started instructing foreign nationals at 300hrs in high-performance piston twins until he hit 1500hrs, who has a different experience set than the guy who was hired at 300hrs to fly a Cirrus Part 91 for a small business until he hit 1500hrs, who has a different experience set than the guy flying a COD doing traps on the USS Reagan at 300hrs until he hit 1500,hrs who has a different experience set than the guy who was a right seater at FSI at 300hrs and got a few hundred hours of sim time and a couple type ratings that lead to flying large-cabin business jets until he got to 1500hrs.
Which one of the above group, who all meet the minimum experience requirements for an ATP, is the candidate most likely to 1. pass a 121 initial training event, 2. transition well to real-world 121 operations and 3. make it through their probationary year?
Answer? There's absolutely no way to tell.
Now, let's reduce their total time to 1000hrs but keep their type of flight experience the same - who is the 'best' candidate for a 121 job then?
What about if you reduce their total time to just 500hrs...what about then?
I will ALWAYS believe quality trumps quantity. The military proves that day in and day out, and while its not a strict apples-to-apples comparison, there are more than a handful of low total time pilots whose training, background & experience makes them more than capable of passing 121 training and flying the line without being a detriment to themselves, their captains, their passengers, or safety of flight.
EDIT: that being said, I again don't believe it is unreasonable for Airline Transport Pilots to have the minimum flight experience required to hold an Airline Transport Pilot rating. But I don't think it'd do jack squat to "improve safety".