IATA's "
MPL FAQ" makes the following supposition (para. 28.b):
If it is agreed that, at high levels of stress, humans revert to the basics first learned for a specific task, then it stands to reason that basic training on SEP aeroplanes for the MPL is, beyond a certain level, counterproductive, if not unsafe.
While it may well be received opinion (though note IATA's tentative "If..."), is there in fact any convincing psychological theory to underpin this concept of reversion under stress? One supported by meaningful, peer-reviewed studies in respected scholarly literature, that is.
How far do these supposed reversions go back... to the previous type flown? To the C152 back at the club? To the bike one had as a kid? Do no proven training methodologies exist to negate them - to 'wipe the slate clean', as it were?
Where does this notion, for instance, leave the 1000s-of-hours experienced pilot of, say, the F16, with its totally different handling qualities? Completely unsuitable ever to become an airline pilot, it would seem, lest s/he 'revert' under stress.
The idea that any other "lesser" experience puts subsequent large-aircraft piloting skills at risk has gained a lot of traction in recent years. But which is it - genuine basis for concern, or just part of the apologia for MPL?