Originally Posted by
FreightWasScary
so I guess the regionals are begging congress to reduce flight time requirements? input from others? I think its absolutely nuts. I wouldn't want to fly with a 250 hour FO as a captain. Back in the days before the 1500 hour rule you couldn't even get hired with less than 2,000 hours. Our pay would dramatically suffer if we let the 250 hour All star team commercial pilots into the mix. lets be honest when we had 500 hours we still didn't know anything...... the CFI that does day vfr instructing for 1,000 hours obviously suffers but why not go get 135 jet time and scare yourself before you fly my grandmother to Des Moines.... Fire away opinions... just wondering if I'm the only one that feels this way?
What rock have you been living under? Before the 1500 hour rule, it was not uncommon for people to get hired with 250 hours. It was the 1500 hour rule that did away with that low time hiring. I had many hired before me at my former regional that were 250 hour "wonders." I certainly didn't have any animosity towards them. I think you are talking about the early 2000s and earlier. Back then, yes, you had to have several thousands of hours. Not long after 9/11 is when the mins for the regionals lowered drastically.
It's quite eye-opening how quickly we got used to the idea of 1500 hours minimum when most of us were dying to get hired on at 250. I never say never, but I just don't see the 1500 hour getting repealed any time soon. If that happened, it would only be a bandaid on a gushing wound.