This is true, which is why the CFI is an integral part of the equation and should develop a working relationship with the DPE, local FAA FSDO or company DPE (in a 141 school).

The same principal works in an airline environment. As an IP and check airman in an airline, I had a pretty good idea who was good and who wasn't before I got into the cockpit with them.

The CFI and company check airman is an integral part of the system and the FAA checks are just as much to weed out bad CFI or company instructors as they are to check the individual pilots.

When the FAA finds issues with pilots they go to the training department to find out why.

 

Good read, (relatively) straight from the horse's mouth (U.S. GAO)

"Data on the other two indicators, wage earnings and employment growth,
are not consistent with the existence of a shortage in the occupation.
First, our analysis of BLS data from 2000 through 2012 shows that the
median weekly earnings in the pilot occupation decreased by 9.5 percent
over the period (adjusted for inflation), or by an average of 0.8 percent
per year.33 According to economic literature, a positive growth in wages is
required for a shortage to be present. So, by absolute standards, the
findings for this indicator do not appear consistent with a shortage for
pilots during the time frame"

"... airlines may have to make considerable operational adjustments
to compensate for having an insufficient number of pilots.
To address such a situation, opportunities exist for the airline industry to
take action to attract more pilots. For example, airlines can continue to
take actions that will promote aviation as an occupation—such as through
employment pathway partnerships with pilot schools and additional career
and financial support for pilots as they build flight hours for an R-ATP or
ATP certificate. In addition, mainline and regional airlines could work
together to shift some of the burden of increasing training costs from
students as has been done by some European airlines and adjust
contractual agreements between mainline and regional airline partners to
help regional airlines increase revenue. Furthermore, with the mandate to
increase pilot qualifications for airline pilots having only recently gone into
effect, opportunities exist to develop new training methods and pathways
for students to gain experience relevant to an airline environment. It is
unclear at this point what adjustments could occur within the pilot training
system that would help to respond to these stakeholders’ concerns about
the current regulations, or if government action may be necessary to
enable certain changes."

And Sully is an amazing spokesperson for the profession.

 

Your argument on quantity of time doesn't hold water. If all you do is get 1500 hours in a 150 or 172 I would venture to say you know just as much at your 500th hour as you will know at your 1500th hour beating around the practice area. My guess is that even though they are going to complain about it, every training captain is going to do exactly what management tells them. Also isn't that the job of a good Captain, to train the FO to take his job? I imagine even a low time RJ captain has something to teach a high time fighter guy that is new to the 121 world. I want to meet the guy with the resolve to quit because he doesn't want to have a low time guy in the right seat being trained. I have always been an advocate of QUALITY of hours not quantity but for lack of a measuring stick quantity it is. I would rather have a 1000 hour night freight guy (if you could have that in 135) who is making decisions and flying in all weather without an autopilot over any 1500 CFI that has been riding in the right seat of a 172 telling some student to mind their heading.

I will bet my next paycheck that the rule will change in the next five years. Congress mandated the ATP not the hours. Look at how the FAA has already bastardized it. Use to everyone recommended getting your degree in anything but aviation. Now doing just the opposite gets you a 500 hour credit just because ERAU and UND have deep pockets. How is a guy with a Pro Aero degree from ERAU a better pilot than a guy with a Mechanical Engineering degree from UNC or something like that?

For the record I already have my ATP so I don't have a dog in the fight but I know the government always bows to a big checkbook.

 

I challenge you to show me some data to prove this. Not so long ago you could get hired with wet ink on your commercial ticket. I don't seem to recall a spike in aircraft mishaps. In contrast the accidents that I have seen are high time guys screwing the pooch. Now I am not saying that I want two 250 hour wonders flying my wife and daughter around but I am saying that it is case by case. Where I currently work we have a huge mix of backgrounds. I have flown with 15K hour military heavy guys that I wouldn't let take my 172 on a trip around the pattern and I have flown with some low time non-military guys who impressed me. Its the pilot not the logbook!

 

Maybe you should still be in the right seat. Being in the left seat is more than just being the king of the flight.

 

Sure about that?

http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-11...111publ216.pdf

Read 217.c.2

 

Actually there was a spike in accidents and the Colgan crash wouldn't have happened with the ATP minimums. The same pilot at 1500 hours is a better pilot than they were at 250 hours. Unless you honestly think pilots don't learn a thing when they get more flight time.

 

If a pilot at 1500 hours is not better than they were at 500 hours they shouldn't be in this industry. Most every pilot is a better pilot at 1500 hours than they were at 500 hours.


Nope

 

I wouldn't want a guy with all military heavy time flying me around the pattern in a C-172 either. I'd bet you wouldn't have a problem with that 15,000 hr C-5 pilot (if there was such a thing....I think the HIGHEST hour USAF patch I've ever seen was 5,000 hrs and that was a C-5 guy) flying your family around the globe in that Galaxy right?

I just went through recurrent with a former USAF -135 pilot, airline 727 guy and has most recently been flying large cabin corporate type aircraft worldwide. There was still some stuff that he could do better in a King Air. It has nothing to do with how good of a pilot he is overall.

Thank goodness he got me through that firehose PL21 avionics stuff though!

 

You better. Might be piloting your family around someday.