Originally Posted by
Bassman1985
We all have to do essentially the same PC ride in the sim, a few approaches, stalls, steep turns, V1 cut, etc. so it's hard to distinguish yourself there. How do you determine who's the best when it comes to bigger planes, CA upgrades, etc. outside of seniority? I'm pretty sure ALPA went though that debate in the 30s when they formed, and settled on the seniority system.
They did. And another thing. What if the "best" pilots got to fly the biggest or fastest or whatever, does that mean the passenger public would know that when they fly a smaller plane, they are getting a lessor pilot? When I fly as a passenger I'm very happy to think there might be a roger ramjet up there sitting next to a more senior dufus. At least one of them is competent. In a merit based system the last two pilots would get paired together. That doesn't sound too great.