Does this mean that people following the traditional training path to become airline pilots are being disadvantaged?
No, we are certainly not saying the traditional training pathways are inadequate or develop less qualified pilots. People who work their way up from a private pilot’s licence, through a commercial licence, to an air transport pilot’s licence go through rigourous training and gather a great deal of experience. However, people following this path find that the move from a single-pilot operation to a multi-crew airline environment is a big step up and much they have already learnt has to be re-learned. Clearly, flying a single-pilot charter operation is very different to being the co-pilot on a B737-700. The airlines have to train their new pilots not just to fly the aircraft type but to fly effectively in a complex team environment. This has been done successfully for many years and airlines will continue to do this now and into the future but there is the option of training from the very start for a multi-crew pilot licence. At this stage no Australian airlines have taken up the option
