wrote

b) in my (log)book, Second in Command time is worthless. What's it good
for, really?

I make the following comments based on my experience as Chief-pilot
for three Part 121 aircarriers and Director of Operations for another.
In these positions, I was responsible for the employment of flightcrew
members for the respective aircarrier.

I observed the poorest performance from an individual with no logged
SIC time. He had several thousand hours of light twin time in single
pilot operations. He had received no training nor experience in two
of the most basic principles of commercial aircarrier flightcrew
operations, "the crew concept" and "cockpit resource management".
Time spent as a SIC without doubt improves one's performance as a PIC
in commercial multi-pilot operations.


From my personal experience, when, just back from Vietnam, I was employed
by Pan American Airways, along with numerous other "just released"
military pilots, it was very obvious that the single-seat "top-guns" did
not progress through training nearly as well as did many of the multi-
engine pilots who, because of their senority, had not progressed beyond
SIC status while on active duty. Commercial flight operations require
much less in terms of being a "good stick" and a lot more in being a "team
player".

SIC time DOES count!

Bob Moore
PanAm (retired)
Air Florida (former DO)