I don’t believe there is any formation at L3, no low level either. (Happy to be corrected though). They don’t even fly visual circuits. It’s all CPL-lite IF & asymmetric work. The students are capable & hard-working but they are being done no favors by their abbreviated training. As I understand it there is a continuous ongoing discussion as to where more corners can be cut too. So their first formation might well be in a £160million ac behind a £300million one. What could possibly go wrong?
So we have a sub-PPL EFT course followed by a CPL-lite ‘AFT’ then straight to a ME OCU where unlike their civil counterparts, who spend 8-10 years in the RHS learning their (Strat only) craft from the highly experienced captain in the LHS, they will be doing Tac as well alongside a captain with 3-4 years on type with possibly sub-1000hrs which wouldn’t even get him an ATPL (& captaincy) in the civil world. Then after 3 years & 600hrs he will be looking at captaincy himself & repeat.
As an aside what would the response in the civilian world be if they were truly aware of how little experience, total & currency-wise, some of our mil crews have as they fly in & out of big civil airports?