Guys have drifted far away from the topic and turned into an instructors vs non-instructors.I'd certainly understand that a certain flying experienced on a complex machine need to be done before an ATP be issued,instructors hours are highly valuable and very good to have most of the case it's an added advantage as you get to learn a lot on various things such as:decisions making,fuel management,psychology,weather etc... but in order to obtain an ATPL one need more than that as its name implies some very highly skills must be demonstrated like having flown turbines or jet powered at high altitude,having done actuals IFR approaches not simulated etc...However my concerns lies with those especially the foreign pilots who trained here and wrote their ATP here.A friend of mine from north africa has its ATP frozen and flies 737-800 in his country by the time he gets the hours to have it defrozen how would he do?since he can't do it on a light twin he won't go as far as rent a turboprop plane or book a slot on any SAA 737-800 simulators to have his checkride.I've got a friend currently flying B 767-300 in africa who recently came back from doing his ATP checkride in America on a piper Seminole.Why can't it be done here.Happy landings to all