N6724G

I ask this question a lot and have not gotten an answer yet.

But why do people get all up in arms about a 500 hour FO flying a CRJ? Heis NOT the only guy inthe plane. there is an at least 2000 hour captain that has at least 2 to 3 years of experience in THAT aircraft incomand of the flight. So why do people think its not safe? Yes, I know what if something happens to the Captain, but that is a rarity. that is not the norm.

usmc-sgt

$24,000.00 a year....did I get a raise?!

jedi pilot

I think it would be great if the airlines help pilot to pay for their training or the loans they made during training. The fact is that the cost of training and repaying those loans keep a lot of pilots out of this career longer. I am a parent and going through a 141 program in Oregon on financial aid. The extra money I get after paying for books and everything else hardly pays for a few hours of time, leaving the rest to come from my own pocket (which is about the size of the coin pocket on a pair of Levis). I not saying that paying for this myself is bad but I could be flying a lot more (finishing the program faster) if an airline was to sponsor or assist with top tier students flight fees.

I realize that airlines will not be doing this, but many companies sponsor students in their schooling (with a contract of course) and it takes a lot of the stess out of it for them.

ZapBrannigan

Because, perhaps, the Captain is not being paid to flight instruct???

This is a CREW airplane. Not a chance for someone to get dual-received with 50-70 paying passengers in back. The first officer is a resource to the Captains he or she flies with... not an apprentice.

rickair7777

He should not be an apprentice pilot, but he is an apprentice captain.

N6724G

Yes, but everyone has to learn somewhere and sometime. Nobody comes into ANY job being an expert. So where does the hands on learning begin? When I was a brand new 2LT I didnt know everything. ihad to learn the job from my Platoon Sergeant and Company Commander.

rickair7777

Because he's going to BE the captain someday soon...

In general aviation and often 135 you get to make decisions all by yourself, experience the results and learn from them. You will also probably get to enjoy the experience of having serious doubts about the eventual outcome of your flight...one or two of these events will do wonders for your future judgement. Let's face facts...some young people need a serious attitude adjustment. Best that they get it BEFORE they are a brand-new CA, holding in ice on a dark stormy night, babysitting a 400-hour wonder of their own.

You rarely get scared or even seriously concerned in 121. It's easy to get complacent and assume everything will always work out fine, especially if you don't know anything else. Some of the younger FO's just crank up the iPod and tune out everything else that they might be learning anyway.

Fokker28

Actually, that's a 'watch pocket.' How's that for missing the point of your post!

Navajo31

Here is why this is an issue:
1. The FAA has certified the RJ's to be flown by two pilots, because the workload demands two pilots at the most critical phase of flight. The FO is not like a backup goalie on a hockey team who only sees action when the starter is hurt. The FO is supposed to be a valued member of the cockpit team (remember CRM?).
2. Normal practice is for pilots to alternate legs as the flying pilot and the non-flying pilot. Should a problem occur on the copilot's leg, he/she would normally remain the pilot flying until the end of the leg - and certainly you don't want to try to transfer control of the plane following a V1 engine failure. The FO must be fully competant to handle every emergency.
3. Back in the "good old days", pilots spent alot more than 2 years in the right seat before moving up to the captain's chair, meaning the level of experience was MUCH higher than it is now. A captain in his second year with a regional doesn't have THAT much experience.
4. Captains don't necessary have that much experience. I turned down an RJ job that would have put me in the left seat after 100 hours as FO - and I had exactly zero jet time, and zero type ratings, at the time the offer was made. There are now - and will be more - "100 hour wonders" in the left seat.

With all that said, I don't want anyone to think I am ripping on any pilot, left or right seat. I will be the first to apply this to myself. I am significantly older than most FO's - but less experienced as a jet pilot than virtually all. When I get into a cockpit, I am a pilot with all the right ratings but none of the relevant experience. I know my passengers will be far safer after I get several hundred hours in the plane. I know my captains will be able to rely on me more when I get several hundred hours in the plane. And I know that I will be more confident when I get several hundred hours in the plane.

Happy flying....

PiperDriver

I agree with you about the first one NOT the second.