What was the old "700 hour route" ?

[IO540]

Many people have referred to this when talking about the old CAA IR having been much easier to do many years ago.

It was something along the lines that if you had 700hrs total time, you could skip some chunk of the CPL/IR ground school.

Can anybody offer details? I am just curious.

[Barcli]

IO-540 - as i remember it . it did not exemt you any of the written exams or the IR ground exams or flight test. it simply meant that you did not need to do a modular course - which were only conducted by flight schools who held caa approval for training pilots with less hours. once you had 700 hrs you could go to a flight school for your IR who would provide sufficient traning for you to pass the IR flight test with the CAA. Having 700 hrs exempted you from a formal course of training including aminimum no of hrs ( expense) - clear as mud ?

[Rod1]

That is certainly how I remember it. At the time it was possible for an experienced and current IMCR pilot to get up to test standard with a lot less cost then on the modular route. When I passed my IMC I aspired to follow this route, but by the time I had done 700hours I had been seduced by the dark side.
Rod1

[homeguard]

Cap 509

Flying school approved by the CAA to undertake CPL and IR training did so in accordance with CAP 509 and therefore known as 509 schools. The training is now known as 'intergrated' which as before could be started without any previous experience. Undertaking this training was mandatory for the CPL and IR.
Unless that is, you had sufficient hours to be exempted.
If my memory serves me right, it was something like;
500 hours PIC exempted you from any formal training whatsoever for the CPL GFT as it was known and also the writtens.
750 hours PIC exempted you from any formal training whatsoever for the IR Test.
You couldn't sit the ATPL exams first off including the 509 students.
If you were a flying instructor you could normally get an exemption to sit exams a bit earlier than the flying requirement owing to the fact that you would be accrueing hours rapidly.
It meant that other than the wealthy most would, having attained the required minimum 150 PIC, become an instructor to build the hours required to be exempt from the CAP 509 requirements for the CPL and later the IR. They became known as 'hour builders'.
This way of doing things was known as the 'self-improver route'.

No doubt some one will come forth with more accuracy and put more meat on the bone.

[IO540]

Thank you all for the info.

So, 700/750hrs total time and you skip the IR ground school and just turn up for the written exams. Not only that, but the writtens were not as big back then, I gather.

What an amazing concession!

the old brigade of Hamble-trained pilots frowned upon the self-improvers as unprofessional, second-rate or whatever

Nothing changes. It's human nature that once you have reached a certain standard (let's forget for now whether the route to it was of appropriate difficulty or not) "you" don't want to make it easy for others to reach the same standard.

[IRRenewal]

When they eliminated the 'self improver' route, they gave PPL AFI/QFI's a Basic Commercial Pilots Licence (BCPL). I've often wondered what happened to holders of these licences. Were they later simply given JAA CPLs?

These two events did not happen at the same time. (Restricted) BCPLs were given to PPLs who were earning money instructing. This happened in the late eighties/early nineties whe they changed the rules and a commercial licence became compulsory to earn money while instructing. (Don't know the exact year, I started flying in 95). Most of these guys and gals still instruct on their BCPLs. What happens to them when they need renewing I do not know.

The 'Self Improver Route' disappeared when JAR came in. Basically, if you had enough hours you were exempt from approved training. Technically that meant you should just be able to do the IRT, but you weren't allowed to do that unless you had got that bit of paper known as the 170A. Most schools authorised to give out those things wouldn't do so until you had a number of hours training under your belt since a failure would affect the statistics.

In '96 or '97 the rules were changed to allow anybody who had 100 total time to sit the ATPL exams without any requirement to attend a course. So get PPL, do ATPL exams, get BCPL and AFI rating (as it was know then) by about 200 hours total time, instruct until you hit 700, do IR and get CPL/IR issued. You could start the IR training a bit earlier (650 comes to mind) as the 700 hours was a requirement for licence issue.

Self-improver and 509 lead to the same discussions we now have about modular vs. integrated. It is generally accepted that it doesn't make a fg bit of difference since you all end up with the same licence in the end.

[IRRenewal]

So, 700/750hrs total time and you skip the IR ground school and just turn up for the written exams. Not only that, but the writtens were not as big back then, I gather.

Before JAR you could do that anyway. Under the CAA system you could self-study for any written exam without the stupid requirement to go sit in a classroom.

The test used to be: Can you pass the test?

Now it is: Can you stomach x weeks in a classroom and pass the test?

[Fuji Abound]

What an amazing concession!

Why?

It worked very well.

You had to pass the exams. You therefore had to demonstrate the required level of theoretical knowledge. That did not come from an absence of theoretical study. What changed was the requirement to follow an "approved" course with attendance at an "approved" centre. That has achieved - zilch. Well, on second thoughts, what it has achieved is to place the rating beyond the reach of private pilots - with incredibly few exceptions.

In the same way you had to pass the equivalent 170A which meant that despite 700 hours P1 the required standard had to be met.

It was a very sensible recognition of the need for a self improver route to an IR.

For those reasons I dont beleive it was an amazing concession at all - but I think I know what you mean.

[DFC]

Must point out that this was a UK only requirement and not in compliance with ICAO.

The CAA were also leaders in ending the payment to PPLs for instruction.

Want to know where the more onerous JAR requirements (especially for the PPL) came from?........don't need to look too far!

Regards,

DFC

[homeguard]

Standards

The 170A (the name of a form) Examiner was brought in by the CAA man Colin Beckwith.
The reason for this was because of the very low first attempt pass rate of approximately 45 percent or so. The failure rate of 55 percent was partly due, it was claimed, because of self improvers presenting for test without formal training. Everyone therefore was required to submit themselves to a 170A Examiner for pre-test prior to booking an actual licence test.
Nothing changed and the cause was focused onto 170A examiners who had been appointed till now solely on experience. They were now considered to be at fault. The rules were changed and 170A Examiner appointments were made following an assessment of experience by the Chief Examiner on application and an oral assessment plus flight test by a senior CAA staff Flight Examiner.
Nothing changed and the CAA put some thought into the content and conduct of tests. The various small schools across the country had been succeeding just as well as the larger schools such as Oxford etc. Colin Beckwith and the CAA were determined that the first time pass figure should be in the region of 65 percent.
Anyone know the current first time pass rate. I suspect nothing much will have changed. I would be pleased to hear that things had improved.