Unofficial summary of the old and new pathways to fATPL for qualified FJ pilots:
EXAMS - Old Scheme
- 2000hrs total / 1500 PIC = Bridging course plus 4 exams
- Less experienced = Approved course of training plus 14 exams
EXAMS - New Scheme
- Any experience level = 14 exams, no formal training required (feeling brave / stupid / both?!)
CPL - Old Scheme
- In current flying practice = CPL issued automatically
- Not in current flying practice = Abridged CPL course and skills test required*
- Experience level not relevant
CPL - New Scheme
- Any level of currency = CPL skills test required, but no training required (see my previous comment!)
- Experience level not relevant
BOTH SCHEMES
- ME class rating course and skill test*
- Single pilot ME IR
- MCC
* Un-current pilots could combine the CPL and ME class rating skill tests
That's my understanding at any rate, and I stand ready to be corrected! My impression is that FJ mates don't have too much to complain about with the new scheme, particularly as few outside of the QFI world would have made the hours threshold by their 38/40 point anyway given the paucity of flying hours in the modern air force. It's the lack of PPL credit in the new scheme that really grips my sh1t.
So the new feature for most FJ mates is the CPL skills test. I have not investigated this in detail yet, but I presume there is a way of making the process a bit cheaper by combining the CPL skills test with the IRT? Is this possible? This might be where the line about taking the CPL in a single engine aircraft causes a faff - because the IR obviously has to be taken in a ME aircraft....