Originally Posted by
Winston
Your sarcasm may be warranted re: the 8,000 hour Captain comment, but none of us could disagree with the idea that someone with 200 hours has no business being at the controls of an airliner. Besides, that is just how much time the “FO” had on this last flight, and I doubt he was right off IOE. How much time was he hired with? 100? 50?
The Captain was undoubtedly single-pilot at a time when he desperately needed another.
WWII pilots only had a total time of 200-300 hours. United hired private pilots off the street years ago. Captains sometimes have to be single pilot in times of distress. That's why they are well compensated for the skills and knowledge to be the final authority.