Af447 and gliders
John_Smith,
Speaking with one of the chief BEA AF447 investigators at the RAeS it appears that the SO had minimal GA/gliding experience and that was in the dim and distant past. The Captain on teh other hand had a varied and more traditional background.
Certainly the SOs actions were far from what any glider pilot would do.
Strangely on the most recent SIM check they were given unreliable airspeed drill based on ADIRS issues on the exact same route as that tragic flight.
Had EASA copied the FAA and introduced the 1500h rule here then the MPL would not have seen the light of day unless there was a long term commitment from a hiring large airline to see a cadet through an apprentice like career in GA.
In addition LoCo airlines would not be able to exploit cadets on zero time contracts or the dreaded P2Fpax schemes that demanding 500h on type has created.
A decent pilot can fly an Extra 300L, a DC3, a B200, a B737, or operate as an effective A380 crew member. But unless you have exact hours on exact type with currency then no EU airline is interested. In fact they prefer a self funded MPL cadet........Contrast this with FAA rules and see how most jet jobs in the USA do not demand TR or hours on type up front. Yes the pay is much poorer than a LoCo self employed Captain in the EU but overall it's a fairer system.