Originally Posted by
SkyHigh
My favorite part:
"The only place you can get experience is in the cockpit of an airplane experiencing all that goes on," Kuwitsky said. "Now you can get 3,000 or 4,000 hours of experience in a crop-duster — that has no translation to our operation."
My question is; how does 1500 hours of touch and goes from the right seat of a 172 going to help one to fly a transport category airplane either? Most of the things that a new pilot does to build time do not apply to airline flying at all.
The best way to build time to become an airline pilot is to serve as one. The flight deck is a system of mentor and apprentice. It only takes one guy to fly the plane. The other is there as back up and to learn. Not to be a second captain.
Skyhigh
I can see your viewpoint and I think many have misread/misunderstood your message.
Instructing isn't the only valuable form of flying experience. Many who so heavily get defensive about it are usually* those who have ONLY instructed, and nothing else, prior to starting their careers at the airlines. I've had the privilege of working different flying jobs, including instructing for 800 hours or so, and I still feel that some of the most valuable and diverse time-building experience came from flying single-engine aerial survey from coast to coast.
Your mileage may vary but it is no reason to talk in absolutes when ranking which flying jobs make a better pilot. (This isn't directed at you specifically but more so in general.)