Originally Posted by
AirWillie
The FO had 2500+ hours the CA had 3500+, this had nothing to do with wet commercial pilots.
I will say
yet again that the Captain was hired into the regional world with around 400 hours. The argument for tougher entry requirements has everything to do with this accident. We will never know if an additional 1100 hours (getting him to 1500 TT) before going to the airlines would have helped to avoid the accident, but I for one would bet it would have.
Originally Posted by
JungleBus
You people want to recover any semblance of a career from the wreckage of this industry? You should be trash-talking the regionals every chance you get, terrifying the traveling public into demanding mainline pilots and mainline safety. I'd agree that Prater's comments probably aren't in the interest of regional lifers, but they're certainly in the interest of all of you who have hopes of moving on to bigger & better things.
I couldn't agree more. If the public perception of the Regional Airlines were to become so bad that the public refused to board a plane that wasn't operated by the Major, then I would bet that flying went back to the Majors. Prater's comments are a step in that direction.
I have no intention of making a career at a Regional. It is however, getting harder and harder to move on since more of the flying is now completed by the Regionals. Unless the public demands a change, or the FAA or Congress regulate it, the flying will continue to come our way. Making us look as bad as possible in front of the nation may just be the only way to bring about the change. So be it.