If i'm not mistaken, on a side note, when airlines were looking for pilots in the 60's and 70's, most of those guys were just found off the street and put in through training, correct?

It's good to see that ABC has alot of recent footage of the aircraft today...i think i saw a few TWA aircraft in that segment.

I think they should have pointed a finger at how many ppl actually get hired with less than 500 and possibly less than 9 months since their first flight....Seriously I have to say I wish more time was spent on a story of this nature. I have to agree that it is quite possible for a slacker or 2 to make it through the training dept at MOST of the regionals today.

It was in the 60's, for a few years. But airline safety statistics were horrible compared with what we have today.

As I recall in 2007, there were ZERO fatalities on ANY US carrier. Compare it to any other form of transportation where thousands of people die every year. But I don't need to tell you guys that.

Finally, a descent piece of journalism from the media, BRAVO!

low time = inexperience and will lead to an accident. Blah blah blah....quit b*tchin' or just retire!!!!!

Hiring is just as cyclic as the rest of the aviation industry. Back in '98(ish) people were getting hired into jets right out of college with 250hrs.

Of course that was also the days of "pay for training".

This is nothing new.

Passing the PC doesn't equal experience, but there is something to be said for being able to do it. The SIC and PIC PC's include the same things and the same standards with few exceptions. My point is that the company may lower the bar to send people TO training but thus far, they have not done so to get people THROUGH training.

Furthermore...Anyone who is totally surprised at both the level of experience applying for and being accepted into the cockpit is simply not awake to the ways of this industry. I credit the media for attempting to make people aware that this is what has become of the industry due to many factors, but one of them being compensation, or lackthereof. They need to know that when they demand that flying be dirt cheap despite record fuel costs and airlines cut almost everything to the bone to deliver that this level of pilot experience in the flightdeck is what they should expect. On other hand, I don't like the way the media is attempting to get people up in arms as if there was a recent spike in regional airline accidents. In fact 2007, was a record year for airline safety.