Originally Posted by
FollowMe
Okay, so you have 10 pilots to decide between for one opening. All have 7,500TT and 3,000 TPIC. All hold CFII, ATP and numerous types. None have any incidents or failed checks in their past. All have multiple internal recs. All interviewed well and seemed like they would be a genuine pleasure to share a cockpit with. Who do you pick for the job?
Of course it’s easy if you are picking between one highly qualified candidate and 9 turd sandwiches, but that is not what they are doing. By the time they get to deciding who gets the slot EVERYONE they are looking at is highly qualified. Something needs to set you apart, that’s just common sense.
That would be a difficult decision in your scenario, but it's not realistic. For one, they don't hire just one person at a time for classes, they hire a couple dozen, and in your scenario, likely all ten would be hired.
Secondly, it's never the case where everyone has the exact same hours, experience or types. There will always be slight differences in those metrics amongst the candidates. Use that as a determining factor, not whether they volunteered at a soup kitchen or not.
It appears it's getting to the point where they're almost forcing people to do these things, instead of people doing it out of the kindness of their heart. Hell, we all know that regional pilots barely have the time to give to their spouses and kids with the schedules they have, and expecting them to give some of that precious time to others at the expense of your family is unreasonable and unrealistic.