As for that, I think it's diminishing returns. I had buddies who were lucky enough to get hired at 250 hours two or three years ago; all were top notch and very safe.

As an instructor I think I plateaued at around 600-800 hours. I saw just about everything an instructor can see by then, and really, it wasn't that much more than at 300 hours. By 1500, I was burnt out and things had probably deteriorated slightly. Although in my last week I got the opportunity to try 27-knot crosswind landings in the Cessna, so there's that.