Originally Posted by
ENH017
I see someone has mentioned RTP pilots, does anyone have any input on direct entry captains or forcibly upgraded captains? I'd imagine CNN could put out another hit piece about how Envoy was upgrading first officers against their will back in 2019, even going so far as to implementing a LoA that forced near-minimum time FOs who were trying to avoid the upgrade by simply not getting their hours.
Not saying they're responsible for the letter, but the idea of forcibly upgrading people to the left seat made me question how safe they would be as PICs at the time.
While some of the issues of people avoiding upgrades by not flying may have been not feeling ready for the upgrade, you don’t get the experience you need by NOT flying. A lot of those trying to avoid the upgrade had to do with not wanting to change aircraft (which certainly doesn’t help with feeling ready), but more with QOL issues of being forced to commute or a longer commute or being stuck on reserve for eternity.
But I’m certainly not condoning a forced upgrade. Whether or not a lot will admit it, there’s a lot you just don’t get to see with someone else that has more experience if you move over to the left seat with minimum required experience. There is a BIG learning curve.