The Great Experiment

Alexis de Tocqueville, a 19th-century French historian, described the United States as a great experiment. He called it an attempt to construct society upon a new basis, founded on theories previously unknown or impracticable. Another great experiment is occurring, this time in aviation.In 2006, ICAO quietly passed the Multiple-Crew Pilot License (MPL). ICAO recognized that many countries trained airline pilots using ab initio programs. These zero-to-hero courses put people with no previous flying experience into the right seat of an airliner in the shortest time possible. The MPL-supplanting the normal path through private and commercial licenses-replaces most piston flying with advanced simulators.

Key Takeaways:

• The Multiple-Crew Pilot License (MPL), an ICAO initiative, is an aviation "experiment" designed to train airline pilots rapidly using advanced simulators and significantly less actual flight time (as low as 80 hours).
• This modern approach starkly contrasts with post-2010 US regulations, which drastically increased airline pilot experience requirements to 1500 flight hours following the Colgan Air crash.
• Initial data on MPL pilots reveals total training hours between 246-404, but highlights concerns regarding radio communication and PIC decision-making skills due to limited real-world and solo flight experience.
• The article frames this divergence in pilot training philosophies as a critical ongoing experiment to determine the optimal, safe, and effective method for future airline pilot certification.

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