Originally Posted by rickair7777

It's a scam the airlines came up with to solve the "pilot shortage". It is in effect or under consideration in some foreign countries, but not in the US yet.

An 18 year-old is trained mostly in a simulator to serve as a gear monkey. The MCPL allows him to sit right seat in a widebody, but he would NOT be allowed to rent a 152 and fly in the pattern at his local patch because he is not actually a licensed pilot. No experience, judgment, or leadership required...video game skills are all you need.

This is great for airlines because an 18-year old who has incurred no training costs would probably work for $10K year.

Better hope your 63 year old CA doesn't keel over dead.