Originally Posted by
Freightpuppy
Then, "whachu talkin' 'bout Willis?"
Ok then, what kind of experience did you have to get into a DC-8?
It seems like when you started flying international you had less experience than the people that you are saying shouldn't have a shot now.
I was kidding about getting my multi-rating in an 8.
It's one thing to get vectors onto the ILS into Toronto, it's quite another to perform a full approach in a non-radar environment at night, in a jet with no auto-throttles and no glass in a valley in Latin America.
Sure, a guy on an RJ may fly 5 or 6 legs a day in and out of the Northeast corridor. On the other hand, another guy may fly a classic 747 20 days a month in various theaters around the world where vectors to final may or may not exist. With greater competition for less positions, who would you rather hire if your company is growing in the international arena? Sure, one may be trainable and I'm not necessarily saying otherwise, but the other has already been there, done it and got the tee-shirt.
One more thought. Pilots at the commuters/regional were a lot different 15-20 years ago than they are today. Back then the job demanded a higher level of skill and the flying was a lot tougher than it is today. 5-6 legs a day in a Jetstream with no autopilot and no automation is a lot different than 5-6 legs a day in an automated small jet. Just to be an f/o at a commuter in the early nineties required one to have almost 1500-2000 hours with 500 hours of multi-engine just to be competitive. Contrast that with today's current competitive hiring minimums.