That's true. That's about the time period I signed up to fly in the military and some of my friends decided to CFI instead of signing up. They had no problem building up hours though. At that time they had no shortage of students. Some of them were flying better than 120 hours a month.

 

1500 hours is a gift. It should be 2500-3000. I'm tired of the low-time "entitlement syndrome" FOs.

 

IMO they warrant a bit of sympathy. To a large degree the denigration of experiance and sense of entitlement was trained into them by the pilot puppy mills. The truth of the matter, that aviation has always been about building experience, does not make for a very compelling business plan when trying to separate $200,000 from Mom and Dad.

 

Not all FO's are like that. You have allot of FO's who have served their country in the armed forces and their city by being cops and firefighters. I agree some FO's have an attitude of entitlement and it seems to be that more of those are the ones that come from aviation colleges and large flight schools. How is someone supposed to get over 2000 hrs. Back in the day it was harder to make into a regional, allot more time was required but it was allot easier to build that time and experience. GA has taken a huge hit over the last decade and there is less and less jobs available where someone could build time. I agree with 250 being to small of a number but some of you who were hired with allot more need to stop with this entitlement that you can just bash an FO because he has lower times that when you were hired, instead help us get the knowledge and mentor us( if the sh!t head gives you attitude tuen smack him in the back of the head, some need it)

 

I run into very few with this sense of entitlement. And those who have that rarely make long careers at my carrier.

That kind of attitude goes over like a turd in a punchbowl at my airline.

 

I'm teaching foreigners (until I leave for Lakes), and the majority will be going to go back to their home countries with 250TT and right seat in a Boeing/Airbus, they look down upon the CFI's that helped them get their certificates in the first place. "While I'm sitting right seat in a 737 (or other boeing/airbus) back in India (insert other country), you'll still be right here flight instructing!!!!" Actual words spoken to me by a few recent graduates.

 

Remind them that that doesn't make them good pilots and that they couldn't get their certs where they grew up.

 

And while they are stalled at FL380 and pulling back on the stick over the ocean, you'll still be alive and instructing.

 

You make my point for me. What true experience does the CFI in your example here have? How does doing the things you mention for 1500 hours make him qualified to strap on a RJ? Someone who rented a plane and flew from the east coast to west and back would have far more real world experience than someone doing instruction in the local area.

 

This is already happening nation wide. More often than not, when you go see your local DR or go to Doc in the Box, you are going to se a PA or NP rather than a DR. My guess is that there is a message board somewhere populated by DRs that hate "low time" (two years of school gets you your PA certs/degree if you have the classes rather than 8-10 years for a DR) PA/NPs taking the jobs that were normally held by actual DRs.

As for me breaking into the industry, who knows. I enjoy flying but don't think taking the pay cut to be a RJ FO is in my future. Maybe if I was 20 years younger but you know what they say, never say never.