Part of the problem lies behind the training these Asian carriers have implemented... which often does not require the kind of flying you are talking about. To save on cost they teach them how to push buttons and that's mostly it. If the button stuff doesn't work then problems arise. Very few of these guys spend much time driving around the pattern doing short field/soft field/slips/stalls and all those things that help you fly the plane based upon outside visual cues only or "seat of the pants" flying. It may not so much be the pilots fault as it is a cultural and lack of quality flight time and training problem. FYI, some U.S. airlines are wanting to do the same Ab Initio training in the future to solve the pilot shortage problem.

Haven't seen many Luscombes in Korea, or T-37's or T-6's, for that matter.

45 hours in a 777 for Asiana probably equals the same number of legs as 3.5 hours in an RJ or Turboprop. Just a guess that their 10,000 hour guys really have the same hand flying time (or inside the marker experience) as some of our regional airline new hires.

It has struck me (as these days I'm not getting much actual flight time doing one leg red eyes from South America) that I lean on the thousands of hours doing CHA-ATL-CSG-ATL-MCN-ATL-AVL-ATL-AGS-ATL four days a week, sometimes with four hand flown CATII approaches a day... what if a person just never has that experience?

So you'd be fine with an independent union with the same cast who has been running things post CEM (common era Moak) :cool:

Here at PCL you will hand fly 2 approaches each time you are in the box a single engine ILS, and a non precision approach. We also fly a zero flap landing with no ILS, VASI or PAPI. So to say the regional new hire at Delta doesn't hand fly is a little reaching.

When I was doing my OE as a new guy on the ER, I got sidestepped on final on an approach into LAS. I immediately went head down to reprogram the FMS when my LCA said, "You're a Herc guy, right? Why not just turn all that crap off and fly the plane?"

And - boom - there I was, right in my comfort zone. "Turn all that crap off and fly the plane" is probably the best advice I've ever gotten as an airline pilot. Well, that and "Never drink with the FAs."

Where did anyone say that? Go PCL....

good point but maybe if Carl and company ran for DALPA office and then took over... :D

Post of the Day~

Motch

Agree 100% I hand fly about 80% of all approaches most of the time with no FD and auto throttles off about 85% of the time... not a fan of the auto throttles on the Emb175.

About 7 years ago I was on the jumpseat on Delta 75 going to Miami.
Nice night and the FO turned everything off and cleared the FD. The CA asked what he was doing and the FO replied getting some practice raw data approach. The CA "absolutely not" and told the FO to turn the FD and throttles on and wait until inside 1000 feet to turn of the autopilot. I was surprised on the CA actions but it is his plane.

I wouldn't say implausable, but at this juncture it is wild speculation.