Two Questions in One
 

Hi folks
Being an aviation newbie, i'm still trying to get my head around how things work in airlines so I have some questions...

1) How often will pilots fly a non-precision approach (I presume these are RNAV, VOR and LOC/NDB approaches? Please pardon the terminology, i'm currently trying to learn!) Does the pilot flying just decide on the day whether he/she wants ILS or non precision, or is it only when the airport ILS frequency is off? (Though I do know not all airports have ILS)

2) I'm using this airline as an example, but trying to get a picture for every airline...
What planes would a BA Short Haul Captain/FO be qualified to fly? is it just the A320 or are they also qualified for the A319? I seem to notice airlines don't really like crew to be qualified on more than one type, and certainly not qualified on both Boeing and Airbus (Once again, if this is incorrect please don't shout at me!)

Thank you everyone, I look forward to your responses.

1. Every sim check will include a non-precision approach. On the line, there is nothing stopping you asking for any available approach to a given runway. In practice, if an ILS is available, that will be the default approach type and most pilots will do that most of the time. It is not uncommon though for requests to be made for a non-precision approach for training or practice purposes. In Europe, there are ILSs at the majority of airports served by commercial flights. The only place I fly to with any frequency where the ILS is not the default approach would be Nice.

2. BA Short Haul pilots can fly the A319/20/21 variants but a sub-group, trained for the steep approaches at LCY, also fly the A318. My old licence used to have A318-321 on it even though my outfit never flew the 318. I suspect Air France and others that operate all the narrow body Airbus types have a common pilot pool.