How hard/easy IS it to get a 737 TR?
 

Assuming you've been accepted by an airline straight from CTC, is the process pretty straightforward or can you actually fail? Or unless you're a complete numbskull (which hopefully you're not, having completed your atpl) is the TR actually more of a formality?

Many thanks for your reply TangoAlphad. Reassuring to hear from a passenger perspective. Out of curiosity, it would be interesting to know how many pass/fail because of the difference and skills between a twin engine and a 737 despite being a flight school graduate.

The process is very straightforward, and yes you can most certainly fail!
Put in the requisite amount of study, application, and effort and you should (like most people who do) be fine. Don't, and you will quickly struggle, and it is going to fairly obvious to the individuals teaching and examining you that is the case.

I have always said that it is a "steep learning curve" for cadet pilots, and that is because it is! However, I have always been impressed by cadets because invariably they take it as a given that it doesn't get any easier and consequently they do put in the work and achieve a standard that is normally well up to that required.

The TR is most definitely not "a formality" which as a CTC graduate I am a little surprised that you should ask the question. You will most certainly need to be on top of your game. I have seen plenty of people fail though rarely as a result of not putting in the necessary effort. Given that these days the cost of type rating is often bourne by the candidate, it could become a very expensive lesson to learn. Also, given the competitive nature of airline vacancies, a failure is unlikely to be considered a badge of honour.

This isn't a "passenger perspective" although it marries entirely with the advice you have already been given.

Thanks Bealzebub. Useful info. I'm not actually a CTC graduate, you'll probably be relieved to hear! (just fascinated with all things avionic) I was just using CTC as a hypothetical example.

Cheers.

In my experience I have only seen a handful of people fail their LST for the 737 TR. The type rating course is certainly not easy, as mentioned above it takes a lot of hard work and study but all that being said, it is something that is very achievable once the required effort is put in.

Tricky question to call, a type rating is quite an intense course, however I would say a type rating on a new generation aircraft doesn't require that much out right "pure flying skill" just an ability to remember flows and processes.


I have done two type ratings from two very different eras; the first needed raw flying skill and an ability to really know and understand the systems (ground school was chalk and talk). The second on a first generation EFIS was more about procedures. The factory ground school with CBT seemed to be more about spoon feeding answers for the tech exam rather than teaching an actual understanding of the systems.

So while a new generation type rating is intense course needing to remember a series of figures and SOPs, neither does it require any in depth engineering knowledge or high level of stick and rudder flying skill.


Actually the hardest part of a type rating can be the sim slot rostering; getting a mix of early morning red eye slots with a mix of late night grave yard slots can add to the challenge.

No offense to anybody but keep in mind that your skill set is not based on experience but rather on whatever is retained from an ab initio course....with only a handful of ME time.
Not only that..your brain works at 90-120mph and not at 140-250mph.
Your processing speed will lag and trust me (from experience) it is a b!atch
Passing or failing is also a function of human factors.
My first jet type rating I was struggling on the Departure end, not the Arrival end.
I could fly an approach at 120 kts but struggled with 200kts climb at 4000 fpm.
More then once I blew right through altitude restrictions on a SID because my brain (processing speed) was too slow.
And that as after a lot...I mean a lot of piston time.
I'd shudder to think to do it all again but this time with only 10-12 hrs ME.