It's not all bad.

A 15 month level-D simulator based program is probably pretty darn expensive...I assume the airlines, not the student, is paying.

The students are probably pretty good kids, at least on paper...I imagine competition for a no-experience-required! job at a major airline has to be pretty fierce. I also doubt the training is a walk in the park.

These countries are not doing this to get cheap pilots, they are doing this because they have no general aviation infrastructure to create a pool of qualified pilots.

If it comes to the US, it will be because our GA infrastructure has collapsed (which might happen in ten years or so). We don't necessarily need to fight it, just make sure the starting pay is adequate.

It might be bad if regionals started doing this, but frankly I think they are too cheap.

Young Alastair and Ian there in the front row look to be about 15 years old - what fun a 4 day trip would be with them...guess I might be at the bar alone. I like the 2 stripes though - noob alert. :)

Imagine all of the emergencies you could run in 1500 hours of level D sim time? :eek:

I mean, I had 1600 hours when I started at a regional and 75% of that was teaching stalls, steep turns, slow flight and so forth in Cessna 172s. They're probably really good. Good attitudes. Straight teeth. Good team players. 2 out of 6, attractive.

Jughead could corrupt at least all 6 of them by the end of a single trip. What's not to love?

Get ALPA in there and they can start it as an apprenticeship program, a goal of many.

MCL Article
 

Here's an old article that addresses some of the concerns:

Worldwide pilot shortage affects flight safety - Travel - News - msnbc.com

As mishap rates increase with countries and air carriers trying out this risky policy, it'll become clear that an alternative will be needed.

at least those in the picture are more trained than my co-pilot.

http://www.cslacker.com/images/file/...id_aviator.jpg

Level D can't simulate the real ice on the real airplane in the real turbulence beating the real excrement out of you on the crosswind ILS final to Podunk, which didn't have ATC to line you up. Oh, and all of that after the 9 hour commute to get to work.
I'm sure the training is good, and, a healthy dose of real world experience would finish it up nicely. Experience puts tools in the bag that you can't buy at the sim store.

Just my humble opinion.

Oh my.

They should've gotten that kid a scarf, one of those big blanket scarfs.

There's an experimental class going through right now up here in Canada. They will finish their 0 - MCL and will travel to Asia to fly A320s. And most of the training is done in level D sims. Frascas, ect. And the general aviation market has not crashed up here, so it may be coming sooner than you think.

1500 hour minimum schminimum. The ERAU's and UND's of the world successfully lobbied to get an exception that grants relief from the 1500 hour requirement based on completion of an "approved academic course"...or something like that. This essentially cuts the cojones off of the legislation.

True, but we're talking Part 121 right? I haven't seen ice in years.

Years. I was based in CLE and EWR btw. You see ice on the walkaround. The jet I used to fly turned the ice on for you, that's how you knew you were in ice because the pack kicked off. Now, I have to turn it on when the nut on the windshield wiper gets some. Then I turn it on.

Now in a sim you get to do every approach to mins. Sims can shake your teeth lose btw during windshear training if the instructor has the stomach for it. You can do lots and lots of those fun full VOR approaches in the mountains of Mexico and when that gets boring, partial panel, single engine, engine fires, thrust reverser door open or prop won't feather, on and on.

Sims are a great way to do training because you can do a lot over and over again. 18 V1 cuts in an hour and half!!