All this talk of the ATPL exams having some relevance to commercial flying is misplaced. I can only comment about the CAA exams that I did just before it changed to JAA, the JAA ones might be better! I can tell you that the CAA ATPL exams are just as irrelevant for Airline flying as they are for a PPL/IR! 99% of the subject matter is irrelevant, all it end up being is a test of your memory. A history of aviation course would be just as useful!
No doubt the main reason for continuing with all these exams is that there are people employed in the CAA and other authorities who write, mark, invidulate etc these exams and without them they would be out of a job, someone's department would shrink and might get absorbed into another dept and so they loose their job.
Just like the medicals when the ECG machine which does the tests is perfectly capable of saying if its a good ECG or not, but the doctor still had to send them to the CAA to be read and charge you for the process. The CAA agreed that the machine could do the job, but wouldnt approve its use until an alternate source of funding was found- so now the doctors are a CAA franchise and have to pay CAA £40 for every medical in lieu of the ECG reading charge!
Its all jobs for the boys and particularly in the CAA where they employ a lot of ex military people who cant get a job in the airlines or elsewhere. They have no idea of what the real world is like and havent a clue about GA. There are a few good ones but they are not the rule!
It is interesting that when the manufacturers or airlines want to get something done, they have far more success. As Genghis says most of the time the people from the CAA are not up to speed with what you are trying to put forward. Perhaps when a powerful manufacturer puts forward a convincing case they will believe them, thinking that the manufacturer must know what they are doing, whereas they wont belive someone from GA. It was interesting working with both the DGAC (France) and the CAA, the French were much more switched on and also much more willing to make a decision.
There is some light at the end of the tunnel with some things though. We do have the NPPL and it is looking positive that the rules about having to train from a licenced airfield might be changing.
Good luck to those wanting recognition of a FAA PPL/IR or getting an IR without all the pointless ground exams!
Doesnt bother me, I dont want to fly IFR in a GA aircraft, I get enough of that at work!