Flying to me is like a game of chess. You need to line all the right pieces up to get 'checkmate' i.e an Airline gig. You are also playing this game of chess with every other aspiring CPL and also the operators who's entry minima is as flexible as it needs to be to keep the supply of pilots coming.
When I did my CPL it was all about trying to get a bit of 210 time, then Baron/310 time during the MECIR. The last few years you didn't need any, just a CPL and you were off.
When you have over 1000 hours you will be looking for multi engine work and once you have 500 multi the entry requirements for some operators will specify a certain amount of renewals. Usually at least 2.
Scenario 1
Lets say best case scenario you work on singles for a year and get a job on a baron year 2. If you did your MECIR straight away you will have 2 renewals around 1500TT and 500 multi and no ATPL. You can't get a job with a regional without the ATPL and your boss won't give you 6 weeks off for the ATPL's so you have to quit and hope you will be able to source a job at the end of it. Suddenly we have a GFC. You can't get a job with a single operator as you are two experienced and they know you will leave at the first opportunity. The Airlines are not hiring and the regionals now want 2000TT with 100 night and a full ATPL. You are short of night hours to hold the ATPL. You shake your head and get a job at coles.
Scenario 2
You Complete the ATPL and land a charter/instructing job sometime later. You now have 1000 hours want to move onto a twin but are so remote you need to take a fair whack of time off and at great expense to travel and complete it. The guys who started after you are jumping you and getting on the twins and you are becoming really depressed with the company and your mind is not on the job. The boss won't give you time off to get your MECIR so in desperation you quit to do the MECIR in the hope that you will land a multi engine gig on completion (or at least your old job back). You have a MECIR now after 4 months slip by due to being stuffed around by the flying school. We have a GFC and no-one is hiring leaving you stuck with a MECIR no multi engine time and the operators that are hiring want 200 multi minimum with 2 renewals. You shake your head and get a job at woolies.
Scenario 3
You get ATPL's MECIR and head north. You land a job progress from singles to twins and have over 1500TT with 2 renewals and are slowly building the night for the ATPL, we have a GFC and it doesn't matter. You are sitting sweet flying a twin building your command time waiting for the right opportunity to strike when the irons hot again. You land an Airline gig in 2012.
Which scenario are you guys?
Checkmate