Originally Posted by
HSLD
I agree with you although a comparison between the USAF and corporate America isn't apples to apples. Funding levels and mission objectives are obviously much different, and pilots working for airlines are liabilities unless they turn a wheel - no so in the military.
Training programs for the airlines are designed to get pilots onto the line as quickly as possible and take for granted much of the background the military introduces or re-enforces in their training. The balance that airline training appears to to seek is to invest in training programs only to the point of bringing risk to an acceptable level. The problem with this approach is that these programs are designed to start with candidates that have known a minimum level of experience and aeronautical knowledge.
As the supply and demand curve in the current pilot job market favors pilots for entry level positions, my fear is that safety could be jeopardized as airlines struggle to fill their cockpits.
Accurate point. Airlines need a pilot to produce revenue immediately, where as in the military service, pilots need to be prepared for when the need arises, so the govt. is willing to pay a pilot when they are not producing.
In addition, the military engages in all sorts of aptitude and psychological testing prior to accepting a candidate for flight school. The airlines (121 regulation test and Class 1 medical).
I am sure that you will see safety being jeopardized in the very near future, and you will see finger pointing as well as airlines sweeping these incidences under the carpet to protect undue regulation and public outcry.