Double standards?
Bealzebub: "Five hundred hours on type has always been something of a minimum bench mark for a type rated pilot...........For cadets, we provide the training and the experience"
Here is the problem (for aviators wanting to develop their careers): the UK LoCo's and associated "approved" schools have created a closed shop for £££££ gain.
Some have even stopped the "TR (£££) into job schemes" because more money can be made from MPL (££££) cadets or selling "TR PLUS Line training" 100 to 500h to P2F "slaves" (£££££).
So an experienced pilot (maybe 4000h of light jet or turboprop time or Military Helicopter pilot) needs 500h on Specific Type for the Airline's "insurance" or HR/Interview entry reasons.
Whilst an MPL cadet with 70h of actual flying time (mostly in a C172 i.e.: less than some PPLs and no need for genuine solo time) needs no real world flying experience (e.g. flying down to minimums in turbulence on a non precision approach with no auto throttles/AP and limited fuel reserves) outside of highly controlled SIM sessions .
Yes SIMS are great for procedural work. And as long as everything goes according to the strictest of SOPs with automation fully functional when on the Line, nobody dies. And 20 years down the line the reliance on automation can be even greater without the variety of flying previous pilots experienced.
So are the Trainers and Line Captains under more pressure? Are SFOs loosing out on developing their skills towards Command when P2Fs are flying and they are on standby?
And as to employees' Ts&Cs being eroded...... !
So P2F: a win win for the LoCos and Schools (who sell more places than Pilot jobs).
And it's down with social mobility, down with hard gained experience, down with piloting skills, down with flight safety (Around 2000 pax deaths in Western Airlines last 10 years due Loss of Control), down with variety of backgrounds and demographics with HR computer tests and in some European countries >35 yrs old ageism.
Wasn't there a tail scrape last year that wrote off a LoCo's fairly new Airbus? Ah but it's OK the Insurance paid out despite the pilot not having had 500h on type!