3 ms·

None of them are flying commercial jets. This is the US, no commercial airline is going to hire an unlicensed pilot.

throwaway0a5e 6y ago
The reason I didn't use an absolute in my initial comment is because I can definitively see situations where someone qualified but not licensed would wind up in the co-pilots seat because one of the pilots scheduled to make a flight couldn't and cooking the books was seen as a lesser problem than the flight not happening. You have to remember that in rural areas "but that's illegal" doesn't really carry much weight. It's more a question of the reality of enforcement and ethics/morals. The reason people in rural areas don't go fishing with explosives, dump their hazmat on the side of the road and do other things they could get away with is because they mostly all agree that these things are wrong and the cost of not doing these things is low enough that most people elect not to do those things.
- jaywalk 6y ago
  Who exactly would be "qualified but not licensed" at a commercial airline? Your scenario is beyond absurd.
  - catalogia 6y ago
    A pilot with a revoked license? I don't think that's particularly likely, but "beyond absurd" seems a tad too strong. I didn't expect this discussion to get so heated.
  - throwaway0a5e 6y ago
    >Who exactly would be "qualified but not licensed" at a commercial airline? The mechanic. Maintaining a commercial license takes money and hoop jumping (not that a private license doesn't but commercial takes more). Small commercial airlines (like what you find in Alaska) are littered with people who let their licenses lapse (or were medically disqualified) or never pursued a commercial rating but are rated to fly that type privately. They're working in roles other than pilots. It's not a stretch to see how someone who usually turns wrenches or haggles on the phone for their paycheck might be willing to be the co-pilot on a flight and cook the books for a buddy.

The reason I didn't use an absolute in my initial comment is because I can definitively see situations where someone qualified but not licensed would wind up in the co-pilots seat because one of the pilots scheduled to make a flight couldn't and cooking the books was seen as a lesser problem than the flight not happening. You have to remember that in rural areas "but that's illegal" doesn't really carry much weight. It's more a question of the reality of enforcement and ethics/morals. The reason people in rural areas don't go fishing with explosives, dump their hazmat on the side of the road and do other things they could get away with is because they mostly all agree that these things are wrong and the cost of not doing these things is low enough that most people elect not to do those things.

jaywalk 6y ago
Who exactly would be "qualified but not licensed" at a commercial airline? Your scenario is beyond absurd.
- catalogia 6y ago
  A pilot with a revoked license? I don't think that's particularly likely, but "beyond absurd" seems a tad too strong. I didn't expect this discussion to get so heated.
- throwaway0a5e 6y ago
  >Who exactly would be "qualified but not licensed" at a commercial airline? The mechanic. Maintaining a commercial license takes money and hoop jumping (not that a private license doesn't but commercial takes more). Small commercial airlines (like what you find in Alaska) are littered with people who let their licenses lapse (or were medically disqualified) or never pursued a commercial rating but are rated to fly that type privately. They're working in roles other than pilots. It's not a stretch to see how someone who usually turns wrenches or haggles on the phone for their paycheck might be willing to be the co-pilot on a flight and cook the books for a buddy.