"Kingfish" wrote in message
ups.com...

Matt Whiting wrote:
Then why have licenses at all?

Rhetorical question, I know...

Because they're an indicator that an individual has been trained for a
task to a known standard of competancy. I know of a local guy that
*did* take flying lessons at one point but never got his license, who
got busted not too long ago for flying a King Air 200 for a charter
company. Unbelievable that this could slip between the cracks.

Happens all the time. Quite a few years ago my father (who was also a pilot)
recommended a guy he knew to fly the company twin. My father knew this guy
for a number of years so he checked him out in the aircraft, "one of the
most competent pilots he had seen in years" I remember him saying. Because
this guy was such a master at handling the plane in many different types of
scenarios and seemed knowledgeable in all the procedures the company hired
him. Only one problem, he didn't have a commercial license!. He was such a
good pilot no-one bothered to check to see if he actually had a commercial.
He only had a private with a twin endorsement. It wasn't until almost a year
of flying that someone actually asked the question. (dumb I know but
everyone assumed he was qualified).
He was let go from his job and the company hired a new fully licensed
commercial pilot.