You know what, the 1500 hour rule is stupid. Why? Because it isn't scientific, or motivated by solving problems. It was a knee jerk reaction by congress (just like the "if you ever failed any checkride, you cant fly 121"). Do I think that FOs at regional air carries should be highly skilled and prepared and competent to carry aboard human lives? Yes. Is this the way it should be done, with some arbitrary number? Definitely not! Why not 1600hrs, or 2700, or 1010, or 251, or 5,000? Why 1500?
Regional fatal accidents up through Sept 11, 2001: Pinnacle flameout, Comair wrong runway, and Colgan Stall. From examining the cause of these accidents, none were a result of the FO not having enough pre-airline experience. In fact, all were majorly the Captains fault. Why dont we hear screams for requiring more flight experience to become a captain? Isn't the CPT the final authority of safety for every flight? Why not 3,500hrs in the right seat, and 5,000TT for initial upgrades? If people want a Sullenberger in very cockpit than we're are looking at the wrong seat. What should scare the public more, a new hire at 1,000 hours or a 1.5-2 year upgrade? I'd pick a 1,000 pilot paired with a check airmen/experienced captain over a 2000hr FO new hire paired with a 2 year capt personally. But of course no airline pilot wants more PIC mins because that would tamper with their career progression. Also, in any of those accidents did anybody have less than 1,500 in the right seat? Would those accidents have been prevented by implementing this 1,500hr rule?
Its pretty easy. You want an FO to meet a safety standard, train him to that standard before he flies people. After the commercial license, for those interested in 121 enviroment, why not make a rating or add-on that would add some turbine sim that stresses CRM and handling emergencies, decision making, systems, cruise and decent planning, etc? Instead of doing touch'n goes in a 172 and VFR laps over the grand canyon for 1,200 hrs, train them like our military trains them and the rest of the world for that matter. Yet 75% of the future new blood at regionals are going to have to hack it out for another year in a not-very-similar enviroment of the part 91 world and take another glorified commercial checkride for 5k, just so we can feel assured they wont pull-up if they get a shaker or takeoff on the wrong runway.
Its only this way because in America we never have a real pilot shortage, so airlines can ask for more experience at the expense of the applicant. Airlines used to draw exlusively from the military, and the flying public is used to airline pilots having years of experience flying sophisticated jets, and expect nothing less. With the rise of regionals, the public was shocked to find that most places hired the Second in Command with only about 1,000 hrs and no previous jet time, as if they should just get that experience magically, all the way ignoring that the Luftansas of the world have being flying larger aircraft with less experienced 200hr FO's for decades. Pilots on the inside dont mind the 1500 hr rule though because they hope it will cause a shortage and they can get leverage for a well deserved pay raise.