Isn't it though!? But...unfortunately, it's totally true and that's the way it is...sometime's when you put your point in a different context people understand it better.

Why is it that pilots begin their career as captains in a large jet (after a very very short stint as a first officer for a few years) so they can get enough experience to become a first officer in another large jet? Finally, they become a real captain with half their career (15 or so years) behind them.

Seven years as a captain is experienced only if he had ten or fifteen years of co pilot experience first...otherwise he's just being used by the system for cheap labor at co pilot pay when he should be spending the first half (approximately) of his career as a first officer.

I'm not judging this individual, I'm just pointing out how stupid and backward the whole system is. It's ironic though that this happened at Buffalo.