Originally Posted by
KC10 FATboy
Good post and I welcome the debate. It is what makes this website so good.
I wasn't very clear in what I was trying to say. What I meant to say was not all flight time is created equal and just because you have flight time DOES NOT make you experienced.
We all know this, or we should, but being an airline pilot just isn't flying the plane. You are a leader and the final decision maker in the realm of safety. This is why I say I would hire a low time pilot with good customer service and leadership abilities over a high time pilot. Let's face it, Mathew Broderick proved you can teach a monkey to fly an airplane. But teaching them how to lead a crew and passengers through a stressful situation is another story.
Also, as I am a Part 121 pilot, Part 121 time (in my opinion) isn't all it's cracked up to be. The pilot doesn't plan the flight and most of the flying is conducted with the autopilot on. Automation also makes it very easy and your skills deminish because you end up relying on the automation so much. Then, for example, when the ACARs is dead, just getting ATIS suddenly becomes and emergency procedure. Ok, I'm kidding, but I think you get the point.
Sure, there's experience to be gained there, but only if the pilot learns from those experiences. A big problem the high time pilot has is complacency whereas the low time pilot has ignorance. The high time pilot is going to get interviews but it will be the HR interview that determines if he's an experienced pilot and a seasoned leader.
Call my company crazy but on day one of training, we were all told that we were hired for our leadership ability first. The fact that we all had X amount of flying time with no violations etc., showed that we were good pilots and that was a "given".
-Fatty
I will agree with you on your points of airline flying. One of the big surprises to me was how much is done for you at the airlines. Granted, I'm not saying it's necessarily easy all the time, but it's a lot different than what you expect when you're that boy or girl growing up. That being said, I think I also gained a lot of great experience in a crew environment with random little issues coming up in flights and with dealing with all kinds of crazy winter weather last year. It's experience that I never would have gotten as a flight instructor, nor would I want to experience it for the first time flying night cargo single pilot. Two heads will always be better than one in my mind, as long as they can work together for a common goal.
On another note: know anyone up with the alaska air guard or in Wichita with the reserce KC-135 unit? I have an interview in april with the alaska board and am waiting to hear on Wichita. PM me with any info.