Originally Posted by
CBreezy
Not quite sure where you're getting your info but most UPT grads, at least on the airlift/tanker side, finish T-6/T-1 with 250 hours (essentially a Beachjet type). Then in follow on, you might get 20 more hours. So, you're telling me that a newly minted AF pilot on a C-17 is then getting 450 more hours in unit training before being allowed to deploy? If they AF can have a pilot combat mission ready in under 400 hours, they should be allowed to fly an RJ.
As for The Dude: I worked with ERAU grads when I flight instructed. I didn't go to an aviation college but my instrument skills and knowledge at 1000 were equal to or better than most of theirs. Not to mention that many of them were intimidated by flying cross-country.
What I am talking about is by the time they finish ALL their training to be mission qualified in a reserve squadron, for instance, they would be close to having the 750 hours for the restricted ATP. Not sure where you're getting your facts, but military pilots get a heck of a lot more than 20 hours training on the aircraft they will be flying post UPT. Basic military pilot training takes a year to a year and half depending on which pipeline you are in, then another year to a year and half training on the equipment you will actually be flying before you get to your first squadron. Then once in the squadron, you have to finish squadron specific training to become fully qualified.
The argument is nonsensical because there is no way a military pilot with 400 hours is going to be applying anywhere because they would still be busy with getting qualified in their specific aircraft, even in the reserves or guard.
Comparing training in any civilian program with the military at present is a joke. The washout rates don't compare, and the profit motive is always at play with civilian training. Maybe one day if major airlines established ab initio training where they were paying for all the training (just like the military) you might get somewhere with this comparison, but right now to say a 300 hour pilot from Riddle or any other civilian pay to play program is comparable to a 300 hour military pilot is laughable and only a complete knob like Bedford would even try to say they are comparable. The whole idea of hiring 300 hour guys came about because of pay to play academies like Comair where the lure of a job was used to get students into these academies to pump $$$ into the coffers of these companies. I still remember the Chief Pilot at Comair telling me after the strike, when they got the nice contract and EVERYBODY was trying to get hired there, they only were taking lower time academy guys because they were contractually required to, and if they had their choice none of them would be hired for the higher time guys.
In the end, its all about the money. Follow that and you will understand. This has nothing to do with flying qualifications, but everything to do with hiring pilots that will work as cheap as possible, and getting back to the days when they could lure people to these zero to hero pilot factories so Bedford and his ilk can get their kickback for guaranteeing jobs to these guys who shell out 200K for a $20000 a year job.