Another difference in getting training now compared to decades ago.

I got my type rating on the DC3 at Austin airways, all of my training was done on revenue flights which were mostly scheduled passenger flying.

I was on the airplane as the third pilot for the purpose of watching and learning and flying and learning.

I never did even one flight that was just a training flight and non revenue.

When the chief pilot and the other captains felt I was ready they had TC come to Timmins and do my type rating ride, that was the only non revenue flight I did for my type rating.

I am tossing some Temptations your way Cat.

My DC3 was done on the a/c too, I stood behind the cojo's seat for a couple of trips then he stood behind mine then he was off to a job at Air Canada and I was fully fledged, did my instrument renewal in the a/c and eventually got my ATP once I got my night time and that was me trained and typed.

Pretty much the same with my DC-4 tanker checkout.

The instructor and I ferried five machines to the contract site, during which all the training was carried out. The only non-revenue flight was a three hour PPC ride for three uf us and we all got going the next day.

Far different from what's going on now, indeed.

I never did the ramp/dock gig, nor paid for a checkout. Good old days are over, no doubt. I wouldn't want to be our young guys shoes.

Gilles

So the question is this,

Does all the extra cost in time and machines and money make for better pilots with TC's requirements today?

For what it's worth my experience has been the same as Cat, PB and xs. I started as crewman on the Otter on floats at Northern Wings, then flew to the single machines and after getting a twin and IFR the DC-3 and Queen Air, but mostly DC-3. We were required to do 10 hours of fam flights on the multi engine, did it on revenue flights no problem. I never ever paid for a course, an IFR or PPC renewal or a type rating. I've done an IFR renewal on the DC-3 where the DOT inspector flew right seat, just him and me on the airplane. You won't see that too much anymore. There was two of us at Iron Ore who were kept current on the Hawker, G1 and F-27 and we attended Flight Safety and USAir Contract Training once a year, all covered by the company.

I once had an ops manager who worked for Millard years ago in YYZ. He worked for no pay on DC3 - he said they were worse than operators these days.

Maybe it wasn't 'all roses' back then either.

There are as many stories about different companies as there companies.

I never worked for Carl but knew him as a friend and Wayne and I learned to fly together at Central Airways. Carl always treated me good in fact he gave me free time on his Grumman Widgeon.

Like Siddley said there was a time when we used to do our recurrent check rides with the TC guys flying in the right seat and they would even do our rides on weekends if it made life easier for us. When the rides were done they would sit in the hotel with us and talk airplanes all night.

We all understood the game, if we fuc.ed up doing a ride we were failed and had to fix the problem and do a reride, that did not stop us from being friends with the TC inspectors.

Things are never all roses in any industry.