Originally Posted by
Spongebob
So, 250hrs is enough to go fly copilot or wingman in combat, but not in an airliner? And before you say "you're only responsible for yourself or a military crew", remember that the consequences around pulling the trigger can have national/international implications. And yes, I had 313 hrs when I left on my first deployment.
If you're well supervised, and trained to be proficient enough to pass a check ride, you should be good to go. If not, tighten up the check ride standards. Since there's no FAR against having someone with 250tt as an FO.........
Some of you were CFI's for a long time, many folks getting in a 121 seat now won't. Get over it.
I know the military (navy) and I know the civilian flight training world...
Almost all military officers, including pilots, are FAR better screened than the lowest-common-denominator in the civilian world. This applies to judgement, motivation, and maturity as well as piloting skills. In addition to meeting the service's minimum standards, the majority of commissions go to scholarship students...that 4 year free ride inserts an additional competetive level that is higher than the "published mins". Don't get me wrong there are many awesome civilian guys/girls out there, but there also a few ringers who wouldn't have had a chance in the military...in any capacity.
The unique problem in the US is that airline pilots (especially regional pilots) mix it up with GA on a continual basis...ever fly a jet into burbank on Sunday afternoon? 1000-1500 hours of GA/CFI will help develop some survival instincts...TCAS doesn't work if the transponder is broken, off, or not installed
