CAAP itself is in a turmoil.... some so called "inspector" created a ruckus that the MPL grads do not have an IR rating! so how can they fly A320s!
Poor fellow did not realize that the MPL grads have been flying IFR all the way from their core flying days....and that there is no separate IR rating as such for the MPL issue! The person in CAAP would have realized that if he had ever read the course content of MPL but alas…we are talking about CAAP!
... the regulatory authority is manned by unqualified people who have no clue as to what to do. ....
5J's knee-jerk reaction was to ground MPL F/Os based on a verbal statement of the CAAP "inspector", nothing written at all, nothing from the DG. I hope that matter has been straightened out by this time (see tvfernandez' CAR quotation).
Le "inspecteur" owns a flying school - sounds like a conflict of interest to me.
My humble opinion, after talking to MPL-involved TREs/TRIs/SFIs these past few months:
The only difference between the MPL pilot and the fresh CPL/IR graduate is 100+ hours of "real" flying, which the MPL fellow spent instead in a jet simulator, getting type-rated and specializing in his chosen aircraft. Give the MPL F/O a few months of A320/B737 high-cycle flying and that "real" flying "edge" will be totally wiped out and surpassed.
Our next batch of pioneers hope to join a middle eastern airline. I am certain they will do well and I wish them all the best in flying. I may opt to be an expat someday - in which case I hope to cross paths with you fellows.