Originally Posted by whatthe6789

I too went to a 4 year university, but I empathize with the people who started flying when they were young, and by the time they are 18 have the time AND experience to go get hired by an airline. Yes, they might not have had the big airplane systems classes like us 4-yearers, but if they can pass indoc and systems then why not let them fly? From my experience, training dept's don't really care how many hours you have, as long as you've been hired. They train everyone to the same standards, and if you don't/can't meet those, then you don't pass. So what if someone has an ATP, if they are trained the same ways, by the same people, and to the same standards, then how are they 'better'? There are some things that the 18 year old pilot with 3,000 hours might understand BETTER than an ATP. Just like there are things that the ATP will understand better, but when you are working as a crew, your goal is synergy. So, pretty much if you can pass training, you are just as "safe" as the next guy...

Also, obviously the FAA doesn't see an issue with safety by letting these people fly, otherwise they WOULD raise the minimums to an ATP.