Otto Throttle,
"Since when did Flybe only recruit MPL cadets to fill new FO positions? Somebody is clearly a little out of touch with the various sponsored and mentored schemes and the numbers involved.
Makes you wonder how much of the rest of the 'facts' presented here are total tosh."
For about the last 18 months or thereabouts the vast majority of new FO's have come from MPL courses. Off the top of my head there has been one, maybe two fATPL initials courses (if you'd have actually read my post properly you would have gleaned that).
The company recruitment policy is MPL because money has been invested in it BY the company. In order for an MPL to be valid as a course IT MUST HAVE AN AIRLINE PARTNER. Any school that offers MPL but does not have an airline partner are money grabbing gits. The MPL is only complete at the end of the type rating course.
As for being out of touch - the training department have the insights in order to plan our training requirements
My training roster for Jan is going to be quite busy by all accounts - with MPL students. Not ATPL. As it has been for all but one of the training periods in the last 12 months.
CC, SK - both right in what you say; just depends on which way you look at things (and who recruits, who gets selected etc etc).
Going back to the original DEC question: with SO many SFO's in the wings, IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY (
note use of the word unlikely. Not "there will never be"
), I'll say it again, IT IS HIGHLY UNLIKELY there will be DEC entry for at least 18 - 21 months.
BS