LOW TIME vs. HIGH TIME

SmitteyB

SmitteyB

Well-Known Member
Ok, some of you this make strike a nerve and some may be just flabbergasted by this.

When I was interviewing with Colgan, 3 applicants were sent to the 1900D full motion simulator, myself included.

The first person to go...a 400/25 applicant. Very marginal instrument scan, he did not get hired.

The second was an ExpressJet First Officer on the 145. Yes, thats correct a current XJT 145 FO. We were all dumbfounded why he would want to leave there and he made an excellent point- which MANY of you should think about. Despite XJT's losses today- do you really want to be stapled on the bottom of a seniority list that just was on a major hiring spree? Well he had 1800TT/1300Multi. I have not seen a worse instrument scan on anyone in my life. I had instrument students first time under the hood that were better. From 50 degrees nose up, to full scale glideslope, to stall warning horn, to no idea which levers adjusted torque. It was ugly. The sim instructor couldn't believe this guy had a Private let alone allowed to fly a 145 around with 50 people. Needless to say, he was asked to leave Flight Safety directly from the simulator.

Then I went. I flew well at 500hour/200 multi. I got hired.

Now with that being said- he doesn't represent the high timers nor do I the low timers, but the fact of the matter is there are bad apples in the entire system. Don't label low timers shytty pilots just based on times please. We've worked very hard.

I am in NO WAY saying the low timers should be given a free pass. I think we should be interviewed more intensively. I'm in no way saying ExpressJet's training is bad, but this guy didn't vouch well for there training department. But I know deep down that they put out good pilots, this guy must have slipped through the cracks. I think this is in part to their breeze of an interview.
 
It's possible he hadn't scanned anything other then glass for a while. I damn near killed myself trying to shoot an actual ILS in a round dial Cessna after being on the Collins glass for a year.
 
I was gonna say...its hard to practice a scan when your staring at one instrument as well as when your above everything 99% of the time. Still not an excuse to be that bad though.


Of course he could have been on of the guys that was told he wasn't gonna upgrade at express and needed to move on.


I wouldn't call 1800 hours high time.
 
SmitteyB said:
Ok, some of you this make strike a nerve and some may be just flabbergasted by this.

When I was interviewing with Colgan, 3 applicants were sent to the 1900D full motion simulator, myself included.

The first person to go...a 400/25 applicant. Very marginal instrument scan, he did not get hired.

The second was an ExpressJet First Officer on the 145. Yes, thats correct a current XJT 145 FO. We were all dumbfounded why he would want to leave there and he made an excellent point- which MANY of you should think about. Despite XJT's losses today- do you really want to be stapled on the bottom of a seniority list that just was on a major hiring spree? Well he had 1800TT/1300Multi. I have not seen a worse instrument scan on anyone in my life. I had instrument students first time under the hood that were better. From 50 degrees nose up, to full scale glideslope, to stall warning horn, to no idea which levers adjusted torque. It was ugly. The sim instructor couldn't believe this guy had a Private let alone allowed to fly a 145 around with 50 people. Needless to say, he was asked to leave Flight Safety directly from the simulator.

Then I went. I flew well at 500hour/200 multi. I got hired.

Now with that being said- he doesn't represent the high timers nor do I the low timers, but the fact of the matter is there are bad apples in the entire system. Don't label low timers shytty pilots just based on times please. We've worked very hard.

I am in NO WAY saying the low timers should be given a free pass. I think we should be interviewed more intensively. I'm in no way saying ExpressJet's training is bad, but this guy didn't vouch well for there training department. But I know deep down that they put out good pilots, this guy must have slipped through the cracks. I think this is in part to their breeze of an interview.
Click to expand...


Some of you have worked very hard to be a shytty pilot!
 
Okay, low time guys hear me out...there is not a conspiracy against you. Most of you suck and need more EXPERIENCE before you get into a jet cockpit. Nothing against you, and not directed at anybody in particular.

Yes, there are some truly gifted aviators out there that can hold their own. It is not the rule, but the exception though. Get over it. Let us know in a couple thousand hours how you feel about low timers...just know, you'll be branded as turning your back on low-timers and pulling up the ladder. You can do it, though.

As an example, I was told recently I would be upgrading to Captain in a Lear 60. I have been at my company for 4ish months, and have a whopping 180 hours in the jet. I moaned and groaned enough about feeling I'm not ready that they have put it on hold. If I have to wait a full year, that's fine. I'm not ready yet. It makes me feel good that all my Captains think I'm ready, and the company thought I was ready, but I don't feel ready. That's what made me tell them up front I don't feel ready and put a hold on it.

Just food for thought...
 
I think there may be more to the story of the XJT FO interviewing at Colgan....Just a hunch. The whole seniority list story...mmm...yeah, like he didn't realize when he got on at XJT that we had >3000 pilots? Common.

My guess...if he's as bad as you say, he may have been politely shown the door at XJT and is out there looking for a new job.
 
But getting back to the topic of new hires. As a Captain we all like guys with good attitudes who are willing to learn, speak up when necessary etc. But usually someone with >1500hrs has a different level of maturity in the cockpit as compared to someone with 500hrs. They've most likely worked out there for a couple years (who rents for 1000 hrs?) and have a bit of PIC under their belt. When I mean maturity I mean situational awareness by the way...

So yes, there are bad high time guys and bad low time guys...But the high time guys usually bring more to the cockpit than the low time guys who tend to need alot more instruction.
 
Baronman said:
I think there may be more to the story of the XJT FO interviewing at Colgan....Just a hunch. The whole seniority list story...mmm...yeah, like he didn't realize when he got on at XJT that we had >3000 pilots? Common.

My guess...if he's as bad as you say, he may have been politely shown the door at XJT and is out there looking for a new job.
Click to expand...
I was just getting ready to post something like that... so... instead... here's a :yeahthat:

Bob
 
"but the fact of the matter is there are bad apples in the entire system."

I wouldn't say the Xjet guy was a bad apple. He probably would have made a good F/O, since he actually had experience doing it. Rather, I'd say flying glass in an RJ vs a 1900 sim kinda bit him in the butt and he didn't see it coming.
 
DE727UPS said:
"but the fact of the matter is there are bad apples in the entire system."

I wouldn't say the Xjet guy was a bad apple. He probably would have made a good F/O, since he actually had experience doing it. Rather, I'd say flying glass in an RJ vs a 1900 sim kinda bit him in the butt and he didn't see it coming.
Click to expand...



Kinda like the opposite of what happened to you when you came over to the 757? LOL :sarcasm:
 
I think autopilots are spoiling our kids! :D This new nintendo generation spends too much time on autopilot! LOL! :D
 
I have found myself only using autopilot in cruise..

I'm sure I'll get used to it, but I'm much more comfortable just FLYING the plane..

I had a captain the other day who insisted - I put on the autopilot..

We passed through 600 feet..

"Auto pilot on?"
"No thanks.."

We passed through 1,500 feet..

"Auto pilot on?!?"
"Nah, I'd like to fly it.."

At around 4,500 feet..

"Man, you aughta put the auto pilot on.."
"yeh, I could, but I'm just gonna hand fly it to altitude.."

Out of around 16,000..

"You sure you don't the auto pilot?!?!" (giving me the "yes nod" look)
"I'm sure.."

We finally level off at FL310 and I looked over at him and asked... "Autopilot on?"

Dude was like wiggin that I didn't click it on from the word go..
 
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