My letter to TC - ATPL injustice

[Captain_Canuck]

I like the way the Brits do it. Do hold an APTL, you need a current type rating on a high performance machine.

[FlowPack]

I think the industry could be turned right around (everyone agrees its backwards I would think with the standard issue 250hr instructor). Make the ATPL a requirement to hold an instructor rating, not the road to achieve it - then see what happens. Having such a rule coupled with the whole 'frozen ATPL until a two crew PPC is completed' would fix plenty in this industry by blocking a few short cuts. Would it not raise pay industry wide by preventing all the young kids from working a respectable job for a humiliating wage? And Instructors would then be among the highest paid (as it should be)? Oops, did I bring up the 'pay' thing? My bad...

[f13]

@Check Pilot: Wonderful post, though I'd tend to(unfortunately) agree that it doesn't stop with the PIC, but with the goddamn computer these days

In all seriousness, thank you for such an incredible and inspiring post. I'm tremendously glad to see that there are people still around us, with some common sense, in this interesting area of life's occupations and interests, who can actually pass on something positive down the line

[The Old Fogducker]

Yes, the post from Check Pilot was well worth the read, and foremost ... contemplation.

No doubt, it took him considerable time and effort to compose that information, meant to guide new pilots.

The Old Fogducker

[willing to fly]

The system as is doesn't make a lot of sense. An instructor can go and write the SARON and SAMRA exams and prove he knows how to calculate the point of no return on a 4 engine jet over the atlantic. 1500 hours of circuits and he can now call himself an Airline rated pilot. Some of the FO's at our company were instructors and I'm told that there is a big knowledge gap between what they know on paper and what is actually done in a 703/704 machine operationally. I haven't flown with them so I can't comment personally.

How about a bare commercial qualifies you to fly right seat in anything up to a 703 machine. In order to move left, you write an exam and pass a PPC flight test. Said exam would also qualify you to fly right seat on a 704 machine. Write another series of exams to qualify you as a captain on a 704 machine or FO on a 705. Then write an exam and pass a PPC to qualify you as Captain on a 705 machine. Each level would also have some requirements for minimum experience level for flying hours.

Breaking down the exams and time requirements to be appropriate to the individual level the candidate is going to be flying in the next few years would be better than testing an instructor, or glider towing pilot on north-atlantic operations. Does anyone in Canada still operate 4 engine jets?

You'll never see common sense listed as a required or desired skill in a Transport Canada job posting.