VJW: I know lots of Captains who joined RYR via direct entry, who were TRE's at their previous company who keep it valid at their own expense and don't exercise it for RYR.
How does this work? I thought you need to be sponsored by a TRTO. A few years ago, when my TRE was converetd into a JAA version, you could check out any JAA licenced pilot. Now I'm told my checking validity is only under the sponsoring TRTO, i.e. the airline I'm working for. If this restriction is true, how can someone maintain themselves as an independant TRE, or be sponsored by a TRTO they don't work for? I can ask permission/discretion to perform a one-off check on an ad-hoc basis outside of my TRTO. Further, when I left my first TRTO I was told my TRE lapsed automatically. This was 2000.