Fo is a little behind the curve

Yep. I got a nice laugh out of it.

What everyone else said. How often do you fly with this FO? If you are together for a month or so it may be a pain but you've got some time to train him and see if he comes along. I remember as an FO I sat reserve for over a month after IOE before I flew again. Talk about behind. Fortunately I had a good captain who was patient and she helped me along. On the other hand if you fly with the guy for a while and he is not progressing it may be time to get the training department involved. He may need to be pulled off line and given more training as a last resort. It's not easy to do,but if it gets to that point it is better to do that than to read about him on the front page of the NY Times.

I used to fly with a lot of 250-300 hour guys at Cape. They'd come in and build SIC time until they were eligible to get an ATP and upgrade. Great program for them, but many of the guys wouldn't let them fly if the weather was less than perfect. Screw that; I swapped legs every time. Never flown on a dark and stormy night? Great, your leg! I never let anyone put the aircraft at risk, and they all did a great job.

Gotta learn sometime.

You're what we call a "cool captain."

I'm also the most laid back, standard pilot you'll ever fly with.

I fly strictly by the book.

Even though the book has been thrown to the back of the airplane

And all my landings are greasers.

All pilots, regardless of hours, have their strengths and weaknesses. I would think a good captain would create an atmosphere on the flight deck to allow the FO to perform at his best and on a pace he can handle. If I know the FO is a little behind, it is clearly in my best interest to slow things down a bit and allow some catch-up time. Praise their strong points and work patiently on the things that they need work on. If they do one thing better tomorrow than they did today, then you have done well. There are times when dynamic situations won't allow the softer, gentler approach to things, and in those moments the captain will just do what is needed to insure the safety of the flight and talk about it on the layover or at the gate. And for you FOs, you may find yourself in a situation as well when you are flying with a new captain that is a little behind or having trouble with something. Your professionalism and patience will serve you well as you offer advice and assist him in becoming a better captain. Your flight will be safer if you can work as a team, even if one is a bit behind or having an off day, which we all have from time to time.

I fly "by" it meaning its on the ground in the FBO when I do my low pass.

Playing Devils Advocate, but I've flown with some guys who shouldnt not have been sitting left seat... Maybe there should be a forum of "What would you do if the Captain is incompetant"??? Lol

It happens every once in a great while where I work. I'd say the great majority (99%) of the guys I fly with are fantastic and are pretty well squared away.

That being said, I've wondered what a few guys have been thinking. Or rather, I've wondered IF they were thinking. Sometimes it's just a bad trip for them (it happens to everybody), and sometimes it goes a bit deeper.

I agree sometimes they slip through and get that 4th stripe before they are ready. I would say though that they are probably pretty sharp though at this point and may need a little more experience to be a competent capt. I am thinking that this is why the whole green on green came about.

You would think, but most green on green restrictions apply to time in seat meaning just because a captain only has 40 hours in the left seat, they can still fly with a green FO if they have more than 100 hours in the right seat, even though they aren't actually sitting in it at the time.

Well i guess its just the nature of the airlines, That's why I hate seniority based decisions just because one guy has been at that point doesnt mean he is ready but because his number is up he gets to move left even if he may not be ready but there may be someone with thousands and thousands of hours experience sitting in the right seat that was furloughed or laid off someplace else and he has to watch these friggin knobs move up.

Man. You gotta breathe. Put a period in a sentence once in a while.

sorry was typing as i was running out the door.

(Not directed towards you) When I've heard people say this it means: I know a couple things really well, but I am oblivious to a lot of the book...unless they end it with "I make mistakes so speak up if you see something you don't like"

The way I've heard it, usually the people who say that make you wonder which book they're talking about.

Like democracy, it is the worst way of doing things—except for all the other ways.

Ask someone who's enjoyed "merit based upgrades" about them.