I see what you’re saying, but when you say I’m “just a passenger” and that it’s only a cool experience that counts for nothing, you’re totally wrong. There’s a difference between sitting in the right seat playing with your thumbs, swinging gear and being trained on the aircraft, flying every other leg and heavily involved in flight planning and decision making. I guarantee I am more qualified for a position as an SIC than a 1000 hour CFI who burns holes in the sky all day doing steep turns and stalls. Sure, my time doesn’t count but I’ve already interviewed at multiple places where my experience as SIC was discussed heavily.