I don't think anyone in their right mind would argue that experience doesn't matter, especially with someone that has gone "zero to hero" in just 9-12 months.

However, age and experience are not directly related and this crash definitely demonstrate that. Also, the fact someone is working for a regional doesn't automatically make them inexperienced. For some, flying out of the home airport and having the schedules that seniority brings mean a lot more than flying the "big iron."

I digress...

What matters to me is the pilot's (specifically the captain's) attitude and aptitude, not their age. Like any population, there are good and bad pilots. I've flown with both and flight hours are sometimes not the best way to judge how good a pilot is, nor does a young pilot does not automatically mean a bad pilot.

The irony here is that we keep bringing up the safety of 20 something pilots when the captain in this crash was in his forties.

Checko