Anybody who gets hired with low time has no business talking down to somebody with more experience - for that matter nobody has any business belittling anybody regardless of background, rank etc.

As for the whole low time argument, I've seen low timers who do an excellent job and I've seen low timers who do not. This is also true with higher timers.

If somebody is hired with low time, successfully completes training and most importantly has a good and safe attitude, I see nothing wrong with it. It is true that a lower time pilot does not have the same level of overall experience that somebody who has flown 1000+ hours in different weather and terrain does. However, after the first few months of flying these low timers will have gained significant experience - in a turbine 121 environment. True, they do not have the PIC experience of being a CFI however with a good learning attitude and good mentoring on the part of the captains they fly with, I believe that the CFI experience is not indispensable. When I say mentoring by the part of the captain, I do not mean basic instruction but more the captain sharing with the FO his/her decision making process, experience and sometimes asking the FO what he/she would do in this or that situation. A good FO, especially a low time FO should be constantly thinking about what he/she would do in a particular scenario.

Times have changed in the US and low time FOs are a reality. The rest of the world (especially Europe) has been putting low time pilots in the right seat for decades and it has worked safely (and no, they are not just gear monkeys). The difference between Europe and the US is the mentoring philosophy on the part of the Captains, the training and also the caliber of the raw product. I do believe that low time pilots should be held to a higher standard when hired i.e. have a certain degree of maturity, education and life experience and have gone through a structured flight training program. I do not believe that low time (or any other 121 pilots) should be hired as young kids straight out of high school with no college degree or equivalent life experience.

In my opinion, provided there is professionalism and a good attitude present in both seats of the cockpit, the well qualified and trained low time FO is perfectly safe.