Pay to fly,

[Journey Man]

Airline slant

Hi John,

You've already been replaced by automation. Hang up the stripes and shoot the breeze at the bar. Unfortunately I think you've been beaten to the punch by the MPL.

You seem to consider the sum total of your required knowledge as that which is used daily. I disagree and feel the value in having an in-depth foundation of knowledge is immeasurable. Whilst I quite agree that we need to know the limitations of our knowledge and also our sphere of responsibility.

Also, I'd urge you to consider the role of commercial pilot beyond the scope of schedule CAT flying. The operational variables met in other areas of CAT can, and regularly do, require more of the theoretical knowledge hopefully accrued during the theoretical studies. The backup afforded to flight crew is not as structured, and may be supplied by third parties. Purely and simply it isn't possible to write a Ground Ops Manual that would encompass the majority of operational variables encountered and the pilots will be involved in areas whereby the theoretical knowledge covered in the ATPL studies is often required. I'll grant you, Polar Stereographic Charts aren't something I frequently require, although I know guys flying for BAS, and the requirement for them was commercial licence.