SDdriver said:
Whirlwind,
When I say PFT is bad, I am meaning it has a negative result on the industry as a whole. That fact is proven! It does not have any positive effect on this industry, the only positive effect is on the individual.
I totally agree, and if my last posts implied otherwise, then I wasn't being clear.
My point is that some individuals don't care about anyone else, just themselves.
That individual should remember that he is a part of this industry as a whole, so what he is doing for himself might be good (even though I can argure that it ultimatly is not), he is hurting the industry he is a part of by doing it.
Ultimatly, he probably could care less about the industry in the long run. Sad? Perhaps, but nothing you or I say will make one wiff of difference.
As far as the kid that can buy his way past me could care less what I think. He might care when I am his Captain and I don't respect him for his methods of getting to that right seat.
Ahh, he still might not care, you never know...
15k could teach you the basics of flying that jet or King Air, it could also teach a monkey the basics. But is that 15k going to teach you the experience you need to handle real life problems in that aircraft? No, it will qualify you, but you won't be safe.
Actually, I'm going to have to disagree with you here. I'm willing to bet that you could take my fixed-wing CFI who has 1,500 hours total time and 170 multi, spend $15K on her to train her to fly a King Air, and I'll bet she would be safe.
Highly experience in the King Air? No, but then no one is when flying a new type of airplane. I'd still say she was safe, and if I was looking to buy a King Air for myself, I'd be comfortable with her flying it once she got the proper training. Send her off to FSI for two weeks (or however long it takes) to get her qualified, then I'd be comfortable with her flying it.
Hey here is a good one, Do you think a guy that just got his Multi is a SAFE multi-engine pilot?
Some are, some aren't. Some are never safe, even after thousands of hours. Others may be safe from minute one, because of their safe attiude. Experienced? No, but knowing your limits and respecting the airplane goes a long way.
How can you really relate anything from a 172 to a CRj? Sure maybe something as basic as turning or climbing, but other than that it is totaly different. He has nothing to fall back on.
Not having flown a CRJ, I can't comment.
What I can say is that I can fly different kinds of helicopters without needing thousands of hours in each model to be safe.
Now imagine if I had never had one incedent in my life because really I only had 300- or 400 hrs.
Now that isn't fair, it all depends on each pilot's experience.
I've had a few experiences that would raise your blood pressure, and I didn't even have a co-pilot. I'm still here, but I used up some of that bag of luck to get here.
My Co-Pilot was really shaken up, but he looked to me and said, I know you have had all kinds of things happen to you before, so I know I am going to be ok.
It totally depends on the person. Me? That would not have freaked me out, just remember rule number one, two, and three:
Fly the plane
Fly the plane
Fly the plane
I've lost electrical power, at night, in IMC, over empty countryside in total darkness, and I got out of it because I remembered the first three rules of flight.
No need for panic, just know that as long as the wings are still attached and the spinning thing up front is turning, nothing else really matters.
He felt safe because he knew I had experience to turn to, even though he didn't.
That alone for me wouldn't be enough. I've flown with some higher time pilots, some are very good and some really scare me.
Now imagine same situation except in an Rj and the Captain is knocked unconcious, FO has 300hrs of flying 172s and such under training conditions bascically.
No problem, it's just a plane with wings and engines, just fly it.
Hell, I've never flown a jet, but I have confidence that I could land a CRJ in such a situation. It wouldn't be pretty and the plane might or might not be reuseable again, but we'd survive.
DO you think the PAXz are goign to be more trusting of their lives to the guy with 300hrs or the guy with 1500hrs and the differences in expereince of both. I hope you see my point.
As the pilot, I don't really much give a damm what they think. No one on the ground can climb up and jump into the plane, so I'm what they've got to work with. They can all just sit down and shut up and let me fly.
My point is you start in 152s you then move to 182rgs then you move to Barons, then to King Airs, then to Saabs, then to Rjs. That is logical progression, throughout all of those small steps up, you gain a little biit more knowledge and skill, but you arn't exceeding your limitations.
So forever, for all time, everyone must start out in little puddle jumpers?
If someone wants to learn to fly in a Bonanza A-36, I'd be happy to teach them. Why not? Sure, it will take longer than in a 152, but if they've got the time and money...
If you learned to fly in 172s and want to buy a King Air, you're going to need intensive training, but I think it is incorrect to say that you can't make that jump. The key is to provide enough training in the King Air to provide enough experience for the pilot to be able to fly it on their own.
Then it takes a pilot who understands he needs to build time and experience in the King Air in good conditions before trying to make those 200 1/2 landings.
My 2 cents from the cheap seats.
Jason