Generally the F/Os I fly with are excellent and a pleasure to fly with, though once in a while when I get paired up with a guy who has only recently checked out I notice an increase in workload, not overly demanding but an increase nonetheless. And this is with guys who have at least a couple of thousand hours.
I wonder what the load will be like when flying with the recipient of a brand new MPL when in a busy terminal area with a bit of weather around and maybe a tech problem or two.
Years ago, when I was an F/O, I had to take over from a Captain who became ill and complete the sector with the second officer in the LHS. This was into an airport the S/O had never been to, in marginal weather and a very busy terminal area. I spent as much time supervising the S/O as I did managing the flight. Thinking back on it later, it probably would've been easier to do it all single pilot rather than explain everything twice. So how would an MPL holder stand up to the challenge?
Even further back in in my previous life I had to fly with an inexperienced F/O, across north America, and I gave the sector to him, he was horrified. I said that actually flying the aeroplane was the easy bit, handling the ATC, weather and traffic etc in an unfamiliar environment was the hard bit. At the end of the sector he agreed and thanked me, he learned rapidly and as his experience level grew he had no trouble dealing with similar situations.
The secret is experience and as has already been mentioned, you can't replace it or artificially generate it. A thorough and intensive simulator training programme is fine though generally you are the only one in your bit of simulated sky and you pretty much get the clearance you want and there is no continual background chatter or other people having problems which you have to make allowance for. So an MPL holder my be able to fly well and deal with tech problems proficiently but the missing bit is the invaluable real world experience.
Time will tell how it all works out.
Regards,
BH.