We'll leave it on the other thread then. I did the legwork and made it easy for the readers to see how that's an incorrect statement.

 

I've been pretty harsh on regional pilots myself, but mainly due to their own ignorance and lack of humility as evident on these boards.

See, here's the thing - I see very few regional pilots on here actually sounding grateful of their break. Often quite contrary - full of themselves and definitely not humble at all.

I got my first regional job flying Dash 8's after having flown single pilot cargo for a year and a half spread over 3 companies (the first went under, the second shrunk and the third was Ameriflight) - both VFR and IFR.

While most arguments here address how it's perfectly acceptable for FO's to come onboard with really low time, at what point does a 300 hour pilot learn to act as a pilot-in-command, and by that I mean accept responsibility and start making command decisions. Is it really fair to our passengers for a pilot to just start learning how to be a pilot-in-command?

At 1500 hours, I had roughly 1300 or so hours of TRUE pilot-in-command time. Between flying skydivers, air tours and boxes, flying both IFR and VFR, having been exposed to and dealt with paperwork, signing for the airplane, being faced with challenges of line flying as a PIC, I felt ready to delve into the AIRLINE world AS AN FO! I learned the ropes in how the airline worked; I learned from captains and COMPOUNDED on my previous experiences to formulate myself as a captain. When upgrade came, I was ready.

The problem with hiring 300 hour pilots is that they haven't formed any sort of PIC experience. Their PIC experience consists of flight school telling them it's OK to do their cross country flights, or a joyride with friends. I remember what I was like at 300 hours, and while there's no doubt I would be all over trying to get into a right seat of an airliner at that time, I feel that I would have been shorted some basic fundamentals and a lot of experience early on in my career that I find extremely beneficial to me today. In other words, my foundation as a pilot would have been that much weaker had I not had "an opportunity" to season before getting into a 121 cockpit.

That's the ultimate problem with hiring low time pilots, and that's why I think that requiring an ATP or at least ATP minimums of all regional new hires is an absolute great idea. On top of that, I would do away with SIC type ratings as well and make sure everyone gets a full PIC type rating under ATP standards even as a brand new FO new-hire.

Remember, it's not about us... it's about our passengers and clients. They deserve the best, and I think we should provide them with our best.

Salary and pay... that's another post.

 

I honestly don't think most people in this thread are advocating that guys with really low time should be in a 121 cockpit. I know I'm not. My responses were simply in reply to the idea that regional aircraft should be avoided at all costs, which is what Mason32 is advocating.

 

Well, you can PM me an email, and I can forward you the EXACT copy that was sent to my inbox if you wish.

AGAIN, you dismiss my points. I am talking about accidents, not those involving ground crew, etc. YOUR argument is that the regional airlines are unsafe due to the crews. So in your whole "7 out of the last 8" thing, two of those accidents stand out as it relates to regional crews. Or rather, how the crews had NOTHING to do with it. You aren't accepting that fact, and you dismiss it.

Here, with IP's help we can clue you in;

And if you do some research, you might find that to be the case of the other one.

 

Considering the fact that no regional has crashed with a pilot under 2200 hours, that indicates that the 2200-5000 hour pilots are the problem.

So...I think if we make the law 2500 hours, it should be retroactive.

Fire every regional pilot who didn't CFI for 1000 hours and then fly 1.5-2 years of boxes/labwork/135. They need to go hit the pattern, master steep turns, and interpret weather for their 50nm cross countries.

It's the only way to make the regionals safer. Once they've gone back and learned the basics, they can reapply for the jobs they are so dangerously performing at now.

According to this thread, you weren't even close to ready. 1500 hours is just getting started. You need to take a COLA and go pick up a CFI job to experience all the things real pilots learned before their first 121 job. I need to know what major you work for so I remember not to let my family fly on it.

 

you should take it as I think your safety culture at your airline is unsafe and unacceptable if you all practice having only one set of ears listening and writing down a clearance over radio. PDC is one thing, but when you are picking up a clearance out of airports with RNAV departures to certain runways and initial fixes based on those runways, you are setting yourself up for a deviation or worse. With one person picking up clearance, i don't care if the captain picks it up and the FO is doing the walk around, you are just rolling the dice. We are all susceptible to mishearing or writing down the wrong thing. Thanks for the intro to the airlines, luckily I work for one that doesn't allow only one crew member to be present to pick up clearance.

 

There is so much anger, and clearly obvious jealousy in your post it is amusing.

 

If someone is not willing to flight instruct for 1200 hours or so (assuming you have 300 hours when you get your CFI) to get on with a regional, you don't deserve to be an airline pilot anyway.

It sucks to have to babysit a spiky haired, Iphone texting (during taxi nonetheless!), nonchecklist reading, cocky for no reason airline "pilot". I say 1500 hours should be the ABSOLUTE MINIMUM!

 

lol, clearly misinterpreted.

I think 1500 hours would be a good thing. This thread just kills me though.

The 1600 hour pilot says "1500 hours should be the minimum!"

The 2600 hour pilot says "no 1500 isn't enough! it should be 2500!"

And you have your sprinkling of more experienced pilots who "wont put their families on regionals because of the 300 hour pilots", when in fact its the 2200-5000 hour+ folks (who could easily be sitting next to them at CAL or SWA) who are balling up perfectly good airplanes.

 

How about acting like you're in charge and telling him how things are going to happen on your trip together?