“Since the old system already had a great safety record, “
You didn’t read my comments. The old system was based on airlines keeping the safety standards high, but as we get stupid in this country and let unqualified people become execs and managers we make dumb decisions that suffer safety. No one gets fired anymore if there is a crash, so who cares, right? Cut that training budget. Work pilots harder. Who cares, it isn’t my job in jeopardy if people get killed.
The Dumbing Down of America.
“The old system was based on airlines keeping the safety standards high...”
No. Commuter airlines had hired commercial, non-ATP pilots for years, and still had a great safety record. Someone with 700 hrs can still be a good pilot, and the traffic SYSTEM still provided an excellent margin of safety. A safe pilot does not require 1500 hours of flight time...