LHS Type Rating

[alexban]

Hy.I'm curious ,is it possible to do a type rating direct on the LHS? Assuming you have the right experience,i.e. more than 5000 TT jet,with 1500+ PIC on 737.
I would like to do a A320 type rating,and I haver no experience regarding self sponsored training...did mine years ago,in a totaly diferent system..
Brgds Alex

[Bad Robot]

Alexban,
I have just done an A320 self sponsored type rating. The guy I was paired up with did exactly that. However, we both get it on part 1 of our license anyway. He remained in the LHS and I in the RHS. Stops all the swapping of seats a gives you a consistent perspective of the Cockpit layout etc.

His experience is Captain of Large Boeings and Corporate Jets. He is looking for an A320 LHS position at the moment.

BR.:ok:

[Empty Cruise]

Yes, it can be done - without jet experience. Just have a look at the JAR-FCL under type-ratings. Did one myself - a bit of hard work, but nothing too taxing.

[gas-chamber]

With 5000 hours jet and 1500 P1 in the 737, it makes sense to spend your hard-earned on a LHS course, if it is the A320 you are after. Chances are you would get a direct entry command offer somewhere with that time.
But for someone with no jet time, imho you need to go for RHS training. Doing it LHS may stroke your ego, but will make life all that much more difficult if you land an F/O job somewhere and are expected to perform well from day one in that seat. If someone with no jet time thinks they can hack direct entry LHS with a new operator they may need to rethink. It can be done, but is unusual unless upgrading through the ranks with an established operator where the upgrading pilot is already familiar with SOP's local route structure, company culture etc.

[Empty Cruise]

gas-chamber,

Why should people need to re-think? Hard work, sure, but nothing insurmountable. I agree that you need at least one of these, and two would be preferable:

1) solid company experience,
2) solid type experience, or
3) solid command experience

With 1500 P1 on 737, I'd say that alexban has solid command experience. And with 5000 hrs on jets, I'd say that should go a long way to making up for any lack in type experience. Others before him have leapt the 40.000 fathoms between Boeing and Bus, and many more will. Yes, they are fundamentally very different beasts, but nothing that will require any rocket science to be applied.

As for going stright to the LHS with no jet experience - well, I know of several people who have done so, and with no adverse effects. It sure wasn't the first command for any of these people, but with the proper training there is no big mystery to handling a medium jet. So once you master the difference between TP and jet, there is no more to it than moving type and operator between TPs. So while it's a steep learning curve, it is by no means insurmountable.

[gas-chamber]

I was not suggesting that the original poster needed to re-think anything. As I said, with his time he should do a LHS rating and could reasonably expect a direct entry command on any mid-sized jet he bought a rating on.
It is all the dreamers with 1500 hours in light aircraft who spend their money doing their 1st jet rating in the LHS, and maybe put 'Captain' on their c.v. to whom I address the advice - buy a RHS rating and make it clear that you only expect to be in the F/O seat for the next two to 10 years. And don't call yourself Captain on your c.v. until you are the boss of a two-crew airplane even if technically you are "the Captain". It annoys the hell out of those who expect a Captain to at least have a crew. Except when survey flying in Nigeria or somewhere, where any title is fair enough if it keeps you out of jail.
And of course military pilots get to command jets with less than 1500 hours, but the flying they do is nearly all training. So I am not saying someone could not go straight from a turboprop to a jet, just that it is a big ask if also changing Companies. Many insurance policies or contracts specify 1000 jet hours before command. I worked for a Company that required at least 500 in the RHS of the old gas chamber then decided on an individual basis whether to give someone a go at the upgrade. Sometimes they got it wrong and guys went for it too soon only to have to do another 500 hours before another shot. And these were people with maybe 5000 or 10000 hours on things like Dash 8's and F27's. Hence the advice.