The "best" pilots by country

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future777captain

New Member
This was a debate going around the club that I found intriguing. Which countries produce/have the 'best' pilots. I put it in quotations because it is subjective, but interesting.
For example, I have heard flight safety guys describe asian pilots as being technically proficient in the aircraft yet don't have the ability/instinct required for difficult or emergency situations.
Another story I heard was a single Canadian F-18 pilot engaging and defeating 5 US F-16's in a mock dogfight.
As well, some Americans on this board have mentioned that other nations, like the UAE, demand US pilots because their own pilots lack the necessary competence.
Again, this can all be relative and subjective, but it would be interesting to hear your take.
Personally, I found from flying British Airways that the English pilots are extremely calm under any sitution and have saved hundreds of passenger lives on more than one occasion.
I give first place to the Brits.
 
Like rolling a 767 mid-Atlantic to entertain the passengers? :)
 
Trying to say who grows the best pilots is like trying to decide who makes the best Reuben or the best Salt and Vinegar chips (or Vinegar and Salt..mmmm). I know bad pilots from 10 countires and awesome pilots from 10 more.
 
British are too polite to be stressed out. I can just imagine some Captain in a thick British accent over the intercom "Seems we've lost both engines and we're outside of gliding distance from land. We're going to be getting a little wet. Terribly sorry for the inconvenience."
 
future777captain said:
Americans are good I presume. But your airline management and unions hold you back from your true potential.
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Hold us back as aviators? Or wage earners? Are we talking about skill or income in this thread?

Are you a flyer for BA?

From what I've seen, China has some of the most advanced aviators in the world.
 
It is an interesting topic to debate, but the answer really is that there are good pilots from most countries just as there as bad pilots from most countries. At my present company there are pilots from 70 different countries and I train many of them so I do see a good cross section of pilots.

Pilots from the USA ( I am one ) tend to have better systems knowledge of aircraft and better handling skills. They can, however, be very sloppy procedurally and less careful in normal operations.

Pilots from Australia and New Zealand are very good procedurally and good at handling with excellent theoretical knowledge, but can be too uptight in the cockpit and too procedural during non-normal or emergency situations. This can result in "out thinking " themselves to the point that they are slow to get the airplane on the ground or brief you to death as they fly right into a mountain.

Pilots from the UK and South Africa are a good compromise between the above two. The British pilots I fly with are great guys, very professional yet relaxed.

Contrary to some of the above comments, UAE pilots ( and pilots from the Middle East in general ) are quite competent. The areas they could improve on are lateral thinking and handling.

Pilots from Asia are very good procedurally and know the manuals thoroughly, but again handling is often weak and they tend to underperform in an emergency.



Typhoonpilot
 
Typhoon,

While I have not been as directly involved with training multi cultures as you have, my experience in working with pilots from around the world on various projects leads me to similar conclusions. I am a bit surprsed that the Kiwi and Oz pilots are not higher, as their culture has such low "power-distance" standards, that I would think they would not be hesitant to do what is necessary to get on the ground.

I think a real advantage that the U.K. pilots have is, beyond their culture, their training at a basic level is so far superior to ours. I have sat in on private pilot oral exams by U.K. examiners, and I was pretty impressed. They really get a very solid foundation, and do not seem to be fed so many of the myths that U.S. general aviation is full of, when it comes to aerodynamic theory, etc., etc.
 
seagull said:
Typhoon,

While I have not been as directly involved with training multi cultures as you have, my experience in working with pilots from around the world on various projects leads me to similar conclusions. I am a bit surprsed that the Kiwi and Oz pilots are not higher, as their culture has such low "power-distance" standards, that I would think they would not be hesitant to do what is necessary to get on the ground.

I think a real advantage that the U.K. pilots have is, beyond their culture, their training at a basic level is so far superior to ours. I have sat in on private pilot oral exams by U.K. examiners, and I was pretty impressed. They really get a very solid foundation, and do not seem to be fed so many of the myths that U.S. general aviation is full of, when it comes to aerodynamic theory, etc., etc.
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I agree the Ozmates and Kiwis and a bit of a conundrum. So relaxed and laid back on the ground, yet so uptight at work. Granted that is a wide generalization and there are certainly exceptions to the rule. Yet it can be seen in other aspects of Australian life ( ever gone through customs searches there ? ). It's not the " put another shrimp on the barbie " country that so many think it is.

I prefer flying with the Brits far more than the Aussies. Make a little mistake with an Aussie sitting next to you and it's, " Mate, that isn't how the book says to do it. We might have to write a report about that ". That creates an air of tension in the flight deck. While flying with a Brit it would go more like, " ha ha, I did that myself last week, your buying the first round at the pub now ". Far better CRM environment and far more relaxed work atmosphere.


TP
 
seagull said:
I think a real advantage that the U.K. pilots have is, beyond their culture, their training at a basic level is so far superior to ours. I have sat in on private pilot oral exams by U.K. examiners, and I was pretty impressed. They really get a very solid foundation, and do not seem to be fed so many of the myths that U.S. general aviation is full of, when it comes to aerodynamic theory, etc., etc.
Click to expand...

This tracks with what has discouraged me from getting a JAA license. Every time I hear how long they want to train me to get the ticket the reaction is: "What could they possible teach me? Can't they look at my resume and see that I know it all already?"
 
Those Britts seem to have the best overnights, from what I have seen on the internet! Brits FTW.
 
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