Originally Posted by
iPilot
Secondly, as was posted by someone else, he didn't upgrade very quick. Chances are he sat sideways for several years, then to the right seat. And probably countless years after that until he took command. All that time he was learning from the seasoned vets in the Captain's chair. Regionals do not have that kind of mentoring structure any more. So today's captains only learned from other regional captains. This is not just a problem with safety or good piloting but mainly a professional problem. If you "grew up" in aviation around guys who have been in the business for 30 years then you'll have a very different perspective on how to behave as an airline pilot.
Bingo.
It is not the 500 hour new hires, it is the Captains who were 500 hour new hires 3 years go. And the "senior" Captains who are anything but.
The travesty is that this is not an industry wide problem. However the regionals with seasoned crews and healthy cultures are being crushed by the major airlines never ending push to find the lowest cost operators.