1) I will focus on this little island thanks. By far the bulk of traffic here is UK focused. The UK also has the largest aviation sector of any country and many many times larger than Spain. Debate on other EU countries is welcome nonetheless. If airlines on the continent are requiring 20hr MCC on Sims then that is curious. The MCC was never ever ever designed to be type specific. Generic medium cost FNPTII's were outlined as being ideal at the outset of JAR training regs.
Just why a "Jet Efis" sim with a bit of motion is thought to be superior to a - say - Kingair sim is illogical. A little Bizjet sim with centreline thrust, care free FADEC engine handling, quick spool thrust and simple push button anti-ice etc is a piece of piddle to tool around the ILS. In case you hadn't noticed Jet speeds these days and TP speeds out of the cruise are just about the same. Everything is 250 below FL100 as per SOP's. Turning onto localisers etc. wil be about 190kts for a jet and maybe 170 for a TP. Hardly cosmic. The days when a TP was a HS748 and a Jet was a VC10 are long long gone.
Any airlines stipulating a "Jet" MCC have obviously not taken the time to understand much about JAA training in the third millenium.
2) As a native Brit who was a commercial flying instructor at BAE Jerez who taught French, Scandanavian and Spanish students for their CPL/IR's I have an excellent insight into language barriers in training. Thank you.
You actually prove my point. When you are not both of the same first language then training communication is constrained. You have to use absolutely standard phrases otherwise misunderstandings occur.
Subtle intonation and helpful use of tone are lost. You end up with a jilted text book manner of communication. I believe things are even worse on the groundschool side of things - you NEED colourful expression of ideas so they stick in your mind until the exam. I still remember today half my ATPL Met through the rude songs and dittys taught to me by a walrus moustached Yorkshireman who had the class in stitches half the time.
That doesn't happen when you have to keep everything clinical so the mixed class of Brits, Italians, Spaniards and Whoever can all follow whats being said and take notes.
Which is why I advise people to train completely in their own language.
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