Originally Posted by
airlinepilot50
You have no problem flying in the back of United regional partners knowing they hire incapable pilots? Does United hold any responsibility to their passengers and safety? I would personally want to hire the best pilots for anything that carries the United name from day one. C5 crashed an an E145 last winter and United awards them more flying. Safety and hiring the best pilots is not want United strives for. They want a cheap product and are willing to risk safety to meet their goals. I know how this business works.
Actually I do have a problem riding behind an unskilled (relatively), unsafe pilot. That is why I am a big advocate of both pilots having an ATP. If it were up to me a pilot wouldn't be able to pass a check ride without being able to fly a hand flown ILS to Cat 1 minimums on the standby horizon. I've flown as an expat contract pilot for an Asian airline and I know far too well what poor skills look like and I'm convinced nobody at my previous airline could fly an approach on the standby horizon. Personally I am concerned about the deterioration of stick & rudder skills as the equipment becomes ever more automated and computerized.
With that said I do not think I would want to share a cockpit with every person who is able to acquire a restricted ATP for 10 hours on an ocean crossing. When I say the regionals are a proving ground, I'm not referring to the ability to fly an airplane safely. I'm talking about figuring out if they will fit into the culture of the major. I'm talking about from the company's perspective is this someone I want to be a part of my workforce for 40 years?