"The MPL is a superb system for becoming an aviator"
 

"The MPL is a superb system for becoming an aviator"

So says Flight's David Learmont. However, news from Sterling is all 9 MPL pilots have been laid off in the economic downturn and are finding it almost impossible to get another job without re-training:

Downturn throws MPL pilots on scrapheap

Would you go for an MPL now? - Airline News Forum - AirSpace

Is the MPL airline specific then?

I've been told it is.

Nothing like being stuck at an airline and having no bargaining power. I foresee lower wages should the majority of future pilots go this route.

I agree. Isn't the whole idea of it making it cheaper and easier to train pilots? Hence the value of said pilot will go down.

I think the difficulty is that most airlines today require a CPL/IR. The MPL does not have such a thing in the qualification - they don't fly a piston twin for their IR, and don't ever do such a thing as a x-country. Airlines don't have a MPL box on their application form, so in essence don't recognise it.

No doubt some amount of "politiking" will be going on in the background. Afterall its not in the interests of either the airlines or the regulatory bodies to have the MPL seen as a failure. I would expect some sort of exemption given to the 9 people caught out so that they can transfer their MPL type ratings to another operator and fly.

Never trust anything that comes out of David Learmounts mouth and NEVER EVER believe anything marketed by a flying school or its associations.

MPL was always designed to enslave cadets to their particular airlines like a mill owner owning your house and paying you in tokens to be spent in the company shop.

WWW

I seem to recall a very lengthy thread on this topic some considerable time ago - the debate got very heated if I recall. Interesting to see if the then proponents of said scheme have a view on this situation?

I agree.
To me it would seem that the cadets going through this scheme thought they were stealing a march on everybody else.

Sadly it has back fired on them.

Its okay if you want to spend the rest of your working career flying 737's for the same airline.

Not the best thoughtout plan by these cadets and very underhand by the airlines and regulatory bodies.

There should be one standard of pilot all doing the same training route, not people missing out large chunks and then reducing the wages / bargaining power for the rest of us.

#2 No, the MPL is not airline specific. A holder of a MPL can get a job at another airline on another type just as well as any other holder of a cpl/meir. Well...thats the purpose.

#4 No, it is not the intention of the MPL, the intention is to make a pilot education aimed at the right hand seat of a multi pilot a/c. Focus being on CRM.

The difference between a cpl and the mpl, is that in the mpl, it says " MEIR Multi Pilot Only"

Well said Don, I can't believe how misinformed people are about this licence. Can I suggest people look at ICAO Annex 1, JAA FCL1, EASA NPA 17B. Its all written down.

Then what is the point?

As I see it the MPL student spends a lot more time in training flying more sophisticated sims and doing lots of CRM/MCC work. This makes them better prepared for the work as a P2 in in the class of aircraft that they could expect to be employed on. Must be more practical than loads of hours in the various light aircraft that they use now.

What happens when it comes to promotion to captain if one has an MPL?

# 12 If you had qouted the line above, or just read it, you would know!

Don K,

I had expected an informed comment, not a glib retort. I did read your post and that lead me to ask the question.

You do a command conversion, the same as any F/O who exceeds the airlines minimum experience.

I wonder how it can be airline specific...does the syllabus entitle the course providers to use own-company SOP or specific aircraft (Boeing,Airbus etc...) SOP?

But even if its airline specific, i dont see the big deal for the drivers to find another airline for they only got to adapt to only new SOPs...am right innit??????:rolleyes:

Training for the job (not single pilot)
 

My understanding is that an MPL converts to an ATPL at 1500 therefore at that stage another type rating could be done with another airline. It's just that the MPL guy will have more multi-crew time at that point - therefore more marketable.

Although you could go to another airline with the MPL type rating e.g. A320 as FO before that point I believe

Isn't the idea to train a multi crew airline pilot rather than a single crew light aircraft pilot and so may get them a job directly.

They wont be flying around NDB holds in a clapped out baby-twin with one engine on idle for hours looking at a six pack single crew display and spending £400/hour - instead they will be training to fly an airliner instead.

I do agree with what you say but what is one of these?