Cricketer
I fully agree, its the same as selling somebody a £20K car you cant buy parts for.
The main reason why these course's exist was to fulfil in the good old days the Hamble sort of situation that existed with BA. This was brought about by an ongoing requirement for crews in a rapidly expanding airline taught to exacting standards. That is far from the current situation..
whilst not wanting to be controversial I personally feel that these courses should be banned, I mean does anybody really feel that they are going to be any good at 200 hours in a modern airliner however standardised they are?
Whenever I go into the London TMA as part time crew in a citation I always get amazed over the workload compared to a "serene" European trip to somewhere like Palma.
Its the training captains I feel for, I mean they must be bl@@dy good (daft statement) to have the added worry of a very low time co-pilot in what is on occasion the most congested piece of Airspace in Europe!
How about a Ban on Integrated Courses until the demand is there???
How about the CAA insist on "Distance Learning" for practical flying skills instead of learning what the weather is doing in lower mombassa in Jan as opposed to June.
How about an integrated course of practical flying skills to include mandatory instruction under close supervision of an experienced CFI.
How about 2 weeks structured module of work experience in ATC area control?
How about 2 weeks structured module of work experience in a busy OPS department.
How about having to pay an Airline to ride on the Jumpseat and "shadowing" (That is to say not saying anything) a regional TP captain as another possible module for x amount of sectors??
Its something to consider isn't it? from somebody who has recently qualified and tasted whats around the corner, I sometimes consider how the system could be improved to better prepare you for whats lying in wait for you.
Whilst very challenging getting an fATPL only qualifys you for A RHS job in a Jet/TP, it does not prepare you for it.
Buying a ticket on a Saturday night qualifys you for the Lottery.
This post ended off Topic my apologies - go modular save yourself a lot of cash and serve an apprenticeship - you will go through the rest of your career with confidence knowing you had a good grounding. Life is not a dress rehearsal