Inexperienced Pilots Flying You Around

Low Time Pilots and the Regional Airlines

I have been there and seen this. Low time pilots getting hired by the regional airlines is becoming a real problem. The regional airlines are in despirate need for pilots. Many regionals are hiring pilots with just over 250 hours.

I have flown with them and some are good and many show their experience level. The regional airlines can not be picky on who they hire. There are just not enough pilots out there due to poor pay and a not so bright future.

This link to a local news station does a good job indicating the problem with low time pilots at the regional airlines.

Low Time Pilots at the Regionals

Airline Pilot Fatigue

The FAA wants a pilot to call out fatigued when they reach a fatigued condition. This is the most stupid rule. How do you expect a pilot to make a good fatigue decision when they can barely make good decisions. To top it off the FAA has rules in place like the 14 hour day extendable to 16 hours which are very fatiguing.

The FAA has a very long way to go before safe work hours are in place for airline pilots.

As a passenger have you ever thought of asking how long the pilots of your aircraft have been on duty. Why not, they are responsible for your safety. Would you get in a car with a taxi driver that was fatigued after driving for many hours? Of course not.

If there is a lot of weather or conditions that are causing delays, I would ask how long the flight crew has been on duty. Then factor in what the time of day it is. Is it late at night? That makes it even harder for the pilots to function after a challenging day.

Take control. Ask the gate or ask the flight crew themselves. If you feel your crew could be fatigued, get off and state your concern. This will help with making a change.

The airlines put a lot of pressure on the pilots and make it hard for them to call in fatigue.

Pilots: Is Your Hotel Room Really Clean??

As an airline pilot you spend a lot of time in hotels. Most airline pilots agree that the hotels are not that clean. The following video proves it.

Dirty hotels.