Originally Posted by
useless
There comes a point when the PM might be making up for the PF's weak skill. Our training department does a good job with what they have to work with. If a crew ends up in a situation where there is an emergency and one pilot is incapacitated you still need to be able to handle the aircraft alone. I have flown with a couple of new pilots recently that I seriously doubt would get the aircraft on the ground safely by themselves even if everything else was working normally. The skill level and experience of some entry level pilots is not what it was during the "abundant pilot" times. I'm sure this will come to pass. For now regional training departments have their hands full. Multiple ATR's, 50-80 hours of IOE. A month of IOE? Come on. I flew with one like that... still couldn't land the plane without being coached, couldn't do a visual... and this is one that made it through. Imagine the ones they let go. It gets old. Sorry I started to vent.
I think and have observed that part of the underlying problem with all of these issues is that the primary training these people are getting is not teaching them to "think out of the box". Giving someone a power setting chart does NOT help them fly the airplane!!!!!! What are you going to do? Memorize power settings for descents too??! That's rediculous, and unfortunately I have seen it time and time again. Unfortunately for those who never learned how to think for themselves they never got upgraded.
I have seen posts on THIS thread about how to setup an approach in the RJ. Not sure if it's the CRJ or ERJ, who cares? Really? If you are setting up for a visual approach you need to be looking outside and scanning back inside, not constantly coming back and forth to your attitude indicator to make sure you are "minus 2 degrees". and then come back down inside and check that you have properly pitched "positive 3 degrees". All while setting flaps, gear, thrust, etc.
I dont fly a piece of paper with a power setting chart or a pitch chart for being over the fence or while at 500'AGL and 1.1 dots low and 10 knots fast, I fly an airplane.
Oh and please dont take this as me being harsh, just have been frustrated with this issue for a while and it just keeps getting worse as I look around and wonder what's happening to the pilots that use common sense mated with even a little skill.