New Czech MPL class attracts 10 cadets

Thenewest and largest group of Multi-crew Pilot Licence (MPL) cadets will begintraining next month at the Czech Aviation Training Centre (CATC) in Prague andwill be available to airlines toward the end of 2020. They would join 14 otherCATC MPL graduates who completed the program (two in 2015, four each in 2016,2017 and 2018) and became commercial airline pilots.

Six ofthe MPL graduates are flying as Flight Officers on Airbus A320 and A330aircraft for Czech Airlines. Capt. Richard Biras, chief pilot, Czech Airlines,said, “After the first experience with MPL trainees, we saw that the trainingprogram and selection should be adjusted in order to improve some skills andknowledge. From the second course, we have observed better performance duringline training and the training progress was equal to any other pilots.We feel that MPL has a potential to play a positive role in an airlinerpilot training.”

Theother eight CATC MPL graduates are flying as Boeing 737 NG FOs with Smart Wings(formerly known as Travel Service). Capt. Jaromir Jehlicka, training manager,Smart Wings, commented: “Some of them are about average and others need alittle more care by our instructors during line training. Due to the presentshortage of pilots we can agree with MPL training.”

“Anotherchallenge regarding MPL training will come in several years from now when the firstMPL students will be ready for Commander upgrade,” Capt. Jehlicka added. “Hopefullythere won’t be any significant difference between CPL and MPL candidates afterseveral thousand hours in airliner cockpits.”

CATC’s MPL program, which waslaunched in 2013, is somewhat different from other MPL curricula, incorporatingeight hours of flying in gliders and another five hours of aerobatic flying. Theschool also claims “a very sophisticated selection system” designed todemonstrate a candidate’s range of abilities such as logical reasoning, managingconflicting information, and adapting to changing situations.

Former CATC chief MilošKvapil noted, “It is a very positive phenomenon that a small country likethe Czech Republic is training pilots with a modern system, helping to reducethe current shortage of pilots.”

Later this year, CATC expectsto take delivery of CAE 7000XR full-flight simulators for the A320 and Boeing737-8 MAX.