Originally Posted by
Dick Smith
Mick. Thanks for such a detailed answer.
Of course time time will tell which is the most successful approach.
I can see advantages and disadvantages with each system.
No problem at all, Dick. MPL is something that I've spent a bit of time looking into just recently so more than happy to share what I've learned.
You are dead right in that there are pros and cons for the different approaches to training
and assessment. For better or for worse the traditional approach was a bit Darwinian.
One of the most pressing issues with MPL, being competency-based, is that you need to invest effort in clearly, unambiguously and objectively defining what competent looks like for every task performed. Sounds easy but it proves somewhat difficult in practice. And whenever difficult in practice meets the real world you get work arounds and divergent 'standards'. You've only got to look at the discussion around whether the training and competency for handling Runaway Stabilizer on the B737 NG is a reasonably transferable competency standard for handling MCAS-induced AND trim commands.
The other pressing issue for MPL is the efficacy of simulator-based training. Apart from the verisimilitude limitations particularly around 'true feel' above 1G there are the very practical limitations around programming restricting what can be trained for.
The good news is that there's over a decade's worth of experience with MPL now available to review.