Agree.
the media is underrating his flying ability.
His hours, are a public record, and absent his instructor notes, the standard by which a pilot is assessed. In another life, aviation safety/accident investigation was one of my jobs. Having experienced the light to dark vertigo scenario demonstrated to me during flight training. I had more hours in type and more night hours at the time than he did. Entry into vertigo was instantaneous with crossing the coast into the dark of the Gulf of Mexico. The instructor recovered on the back up instruments then gave me a short lecture 'on what just happened'.
On the second flight that night when I was the observer, the second student got the same lesson this time over Escambia Bay. His entry to vertigo was more extreme. From the debrief, the instructor noted that while he had recovered me more easily, he had gotten more of 'a touch of vertigo' from my f up than he realized. He recovered the second time @ 500'. Remember, he knew what he was demonstrating.
Kobe's pilot had 8000 hours and crashed a helicopter during daytime hours in similar weather conditions.
My squadron lost a helicopter off the Philippines when they got spooked by a jet operating in uncontrolled airspace at night on a different frequency. The total time in the cockpit was around 2000 hrs. Of the gear we fished out, it was apparent that the only guy doing his job was the crewchief as his helmet was holed by the winch, indicating he was doing his lookout duties correctly when the aircraft hit the water. The pilots, distracted by the jet failed to notice they had an imperceptible rate of descent. If the copilot had done his job he would have seen it. The HAC was responsible because it was his crew. The HAC was there specifically because I put him there as I knew he was a good stick. He f'ed it up but did survive.
Your excellent experience prompts me to ask this follow up question:
For the number of hours JFK Jr. had flown, is it odd that he didn’t yet have his instrument clearance? Would most pilots with similar hours have accomplished that certification by then?
Also, is there anything odd about the order he accomplished his training?
Any discrepancies/ oddities jump out at you?
Just pondering...
Did any of the three turn their fuel off?
Also I might want to pick your brain on other stuff? I like to get pilots opinions on these things.