ME Rating issue before the CPL?

[Locarno]

Good Afternoon all,

Does anyone know the answer to the following? I have looked through the CAA website but it's incredibly confusing and I'm not sure what or where to look for the answer!

I am looking at completing my ME/IR before the CPL and the school I am looking to use completes their CPLs on a twin engine aircraft. I am fine all with all this but what I can't work out is whether or not I need to wait for the ME rating to be issued on my licence before the CPL skills test, or whether just having passed the ME and having the required hours will be sufficient - I can then have the CPL/IR + ME all added to the license at the same time?

Any help to shed light on this would be greatly appreciated.

[KayPam]

You can have a PPL with IR ME on it, like some private pilots do, then pass your CPL which will inherit from your PPL qualifications (IR ME)

[Locarno]

Thanks for your response.

I am wondering though after the IR/ME is passed, do you have to wait for the rating to be issued (which is giving 35 working days according to the CAA website) or can you get cracking into the CPL training and skills test immediately after the ME/IR?

[rudestuff]

What's the school? It seems from your post that there is a little confusion about the difference between an ME (I assume you mean MEP) rating and an MEIR.
To answer your question, let's say you have a PPL and do a multi rating (MEP) - You now have PPL/ME. If you take your CPL on a single, your MEP rating 'jumps' onto that as well making you CPL/SEP&MEP. What (I think) you are talking about doing your MEP, then taking your CPL on an MEP as well (essentially getting your MEP rating twice) which is just about the most expensive way of doing things.
Now onto the MEIR: Just like the MEP, you can do it with a PPL and it 'jumps' on to your CPL when you get it. As long as you have enough XC PIC hours, it's probably better to do it before CPL. The other thing to know about the MEIR is this: you DO NOT need an MEP rating to get one. You have to do the training but you do not have to take the test or apply for the rating. You do not need to wait for anything to be issued before doing anything else: it's actually cheaper in CAA application fees to apply for CPL and IR at the same time.

If your goal is to work for an airline, the cheapest way is to first get an MEIR then go somewhere else and get a 15 hour single engine CPL (About £3-4k), and don't bother with MEP.

[Locarno]

Ah I see - yes I have been getting confused between the MEP and the MEIR.

The school I have found (One Air in Malaga) is giving a cracking deal for the MEIR and the CPL, but unfortunately their only complex aircraft is the twin, DA42.

It's working out as about £3.5k for the CPL which I'm happy with but I'm very confused now about the CPL on the multi engine. The MEIR Will be completed first, meaning I'll have a PPL (SE) + MEIR (Which won't have been issued officially by the CAA yet) If I then try to complete the CPL on the twin immediately after the MEIR exam - is this allowed?

It's all very confusing indeed!

[rudestuff]

You can do the courses back to back in any order as long as you meet the requirements for each, and apply for everything at once with the CAA. You'll need to take the MEP course first before you can take the MEIR, but you're not required to take the test (So the pressure is off.) Just do the 6 hours and move on to the IR. You'll be using the DA42 for at least another 15 hours for the IR anyway, and another 7 hours for The CPL (which counts as an MEP anyway) by which time the aircraft will be second nature. Also, if you're getting the licence issued by the CAA, make sure you have 200 hours BEFORE you take the CPL test - ignore what it says on the website about starting with 150 hours and needing 200 for issue - In the old days you could take your test at 175, then hour build to 200. I've heard it doesn't work that way in the UK anymore.