http://www.kstp.com/article/stories/...html?cat=1&v=1

(found this in Mesaba New Hires thread, thanks to whoever posted it)

YES! Lets debate low time guys again!

i would like to see what the report says. its one thing to sit here and banter about it but we never see a public opinion on the subject

I love when they interview random people on random subjects as there sitting in the drive through at Mcdonals. Those are the best reports.

Great, hasnt this subject been covered enough already. I got a great idea, lets only hire pilots with 5000 hours or more, but because we cant get enough pilots with that expierience we will have to cancel 3/4 of our flights for the day. Lets see how the PAX and media will respond to that.

Yep, it's been beaten to death...but you may have missed a key point here. There's a big difference when you compare a guy with 1,000 hours to a guy with 250 hours. The 1,000 hour guy can talk on the radio, knows what the inside of a cloud looks like, probably taught someone a thing or two, knows what "flaring" means, has probably seen ice, and is not using mapquest to get to the local FBO.

Those differences start to go away when you're comparing the 5,000 hour guy to the 1,000 hour guy.

Not knocking on the low time guys, we were all there once. But just because jets are shiny and go real fast doesn't mean you should be rushing off to sit in the right seat of one.

said it once, ill say it again...

general public does not care. cockpit door is locked, they sit in the back gripping on to their ticket which they bought for the lowest price on expedia, travelocity, priceline, etc

...and as long as they get to where it says on their ticket and 'saved' a couple of bucks on the way, then they will smile, thank you for the flight, and ask how hard you had to wind up the props before takeoff

how about an expose on starting pay...

Experience...their is no substitute i agree, but the level of training is far gone from the days of Vietnam when an OV2-Bronco was used as a trainer, with Avidine Flight Max and G1000, ruling the market place and making low time pilots more glass oriented than some people who fly even DC-9's or Saab's...I'm not saying all hail the lowtime pilot all I'm saying is these low time guys aren't as bad as all these captains make them out to be.

whoa look what I started!

worst story ever

except for the 5 second blurp with the guy defending our profession