dotticom: best not to jump to too quick assumptions!
I am well aware of how things used to be:
PPL in 1967
CPL/IR 1971
ATPL 1973 (Zambian ATPL, FAA CPL, Canadian PPL and HK ATPL along the way!)
In fact "in the day" there was no such thing as a "frozenATPL" since one had to have the minimum hours required before one was even allowed to sit the exams! I am of course aware of qualified ex-military pilots going straight for the full licence but i am yet to hear of one going for a "fATPL"!
Some of the younger posters may not know that the UK CAA used to issue a SCPL(senior CPL) which allowed one to command something heavier than 12,500lbs up to (and here my memory fails me) about F27 weight. This was issued after passing the written ATPL papers when one did not have the total hours requirement for the ATPL. This I think is more comparable to the fATPL but actually was a distinct licence in its own right.
Last edited by Meikleour; 1st Mar 2015 at 16:27.
Reason: additional info