Of course the 170A "flight test" is a moneymaking scam, because by definition you are not going forward for the 170A until you are ready for the real IR test, so this is just another way to get an extra £1k or so from the average ATPL punter who is ready for the IRT and doesn't know any better.
And since there are no set standards for the 170A, the FTO can just fail you, and get another £1k. The one I had was a complete farce, with the examiner not liking power checks with tailwind, not liking my perfectly reasonable choice of alternate, etc.
However recent changes mean the FTO is no longer obliged to give you the 170A course completion certificate upon completion of the approved course (which then enabled you to book the IRT with the CAA directly) so the old scam has been formalised in favour of the industry.
When everything has been said and done, gigabytes of bandwidth used on the internet talking about stuff, very little actually changes in reality because the people are the same and their commercial motivations are the same.
Last edited by peterh337; 11th Jun 2013 at 09:14.