i think there is a grave misunderstanding in the issue of MPL sponsorship which needs to be corrected now lest it propagate further. let's try and be logical here, gentlemen/ ladies. this is a reply to no specific person, but to a few statements i picked up in the thread.
1. MPL should not be self-sponsored..ever!
why would ICAO or the CAA's bother to check who pays the bill??? (pardon my triple question marks, i seem to have picked up this bad habit for drama in this forum
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their rightful concern is training -- whether the training in the MPL academy is aligned with the SOP's of the partner airline. who gets to pay for the training (whether airline or the cadet) is none of its business, as it is none of their business to check who pays for your PPL, CPL, IR, fATPL, ME, Instructors rating, or Type Rating. I know of a lot of people who pay for their own CPL all the way to TR: what difference does that have to someone who pays on his own for the MPL?
again and let's put this to rest: airline partnership in the MPL means operational and training partnership, not a financial partnership.
if any body here wants the airline to pick up the tab what he should do is go to the airline and negotiate his way into getting a training package in exchange for a bond of say, 3 years. then if he is successful, he should log on to PPRUNE first thing the following morning and tell all of us here the juicy details so he can help fellow (would be) aviators!
2. Most of the students that will be able to afford this program will be coming from wealthy upper class families. In my experiance some of these tend to not work as hard as students paying their own way and feel that their passing is a given.
this got me a little confused. i thought the point was being raised against students who pay for their training?
in case it is just typo error and the point being made is about rich kids not being diligent students, then i will say this is a general educational problem, not a problem limited to MPL training. All schools, colleges, universities, training programs, need to ensure the lazy guys perform well or get kicked out. so this is not exactly a comment against the MPL, but rather a challenge for the school -- make sure no rich bum thinks he is entitled to get the MPL without performing well, just because he paid big bucks!
3.
One of the big problems with having the students pay is Alpha has every incentive to pass them no matter what. They will be more motivated on profits than turning out a quality pilot.
Every business ALWAYS has this dilemma: how to make money without sacrificing quality (which costs a lot). Why make a specific item against a specific company? Isn't it a little naive to think the other training companies offering other courses do not have this challenge? I am not from Alpha, but guys, let's be fair here. This is again obviously not an MPL issue.
4. In the end the good pilots that make it through will be tainted because of a few that pass, that shoud not have, and give the school a bad reputation.
Show me a school where this is not an issue.
5. If the airlines were sponsoring and paying the poor performers would be weeded out along the way.
this statement got me thinking, how exactly is this going to be done? and i am thought that it is assuming since the airlines are more concerned with safety, they will exert more diligence in checking the performance of their sponsored cadets. this is actually a good point.
but I will tell you this: airlines are businesses too, right? aren't they affected by the profit motive, too? if we think everybody who is out to make a profit will sacrifice quality, then that affects everyone, not just the schools.
the point i am trying to make is this: we are talking big bucks here. airlines naturally will be wary, as the school and the families should, too.
every would be cadet needs to take a long hard look at his options, and his risks. however we need to be objective and fair, and not muddle the issues any further.
MPL requires lots of money and good training plus a partner airline. i suggest all the cadets check if all three are present and in good quality before taking the plunge. Ask lots of questions. Look at contracts. DO due diligence studies. In other words, BE RESPONSIBLE STUDENTS starting with an honest to goodness risk assessments.
to malirm and emiratesson, good luck! i hope your studies go well.