Multi-crew pilot licence (MPL)
MPL represents a state-of-the-art ab initio airline pilot training programme
Article from the ICAO Journal, Volume 62, Number 3, 2007
The latest issue of the International Civil Aviation Organization magazine, the ICAO Journal, contains an article on the Multi-crew pilot licence.
"The newly established multi-crew pilot licence is focussed from Day One on preparing the co-pilot candidate for the right seat of an advanced airliner, using a competency-based approach to training developed with an emphasis on improving flight deck safety." Capt Chris Schroeder and Cap Dieter Harms, IATA.
Read the full article (Reproduced from the ICAO Journal, with permission)
Background
A new pilot qualification was established by the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) specifically for airline co-pilots in 2006.
The new licence was incorporated into ICAO Annex 1 (Personnel Licensing) in November 2006. It is based on the recommendations of ICAO's flight crew licensing training panel (FCLTP/2) which held a series of meetings on MPL during 2004 and 2005. The meetings were prompted by calls from industry for better ways to train co-pilots amid mounting evidence that deficits in teamwork were major contributors to airline accidents.
The MPL is designed to develop the abilities needed to fly multi-crew airline aeroplanes. Compared to traditional training pathways it makes greater use of simulators, adopts competency-based-training methods and further applies human factors and threat and error management in all phases of training.
Traditional training methods emphasise independence and individual skills. While appropriate for single-pilot operations, they can impede the transfer to multi-crew operations. Pilots moving to work in airlines have needed bridging training.
ICAO has also issued a set of procedures for training, and has set them out in its PANS-TRG (procedures for air navigation services – training) document, which shifts the focus from prescriptive flying hour requirements to competency-based training and assessment.
The procedures put more emphasis on simulator training including the use of simulated air traffic control. Pilots will still be able to take the traditional pathway to qualifying to fly as co-pilot, progressing from the private pilot licence through the commercial licence to the air transport pilot licence.
The MPL was incorporated into the European pilot licensing regulations on 1 December 2006.
Implementation - Recent Developments - updated 25 July 2008
CASA established an industry project team in 2007 to advise on the implementation of the MPL. The team has met numerous times since its first meeting on 19 February 2007.
The project team comprises a range of technical experts in the areas of ab-initio pilot training, airline multi-crew operations, simulator and competency-based training.
MPL courses are now running in several countries. The first MPL pilots have been operating on the line with Sterling Airlines in Denmark following their graduation in September 2007. Lufthansa Flight Training commenced MPL training in February 2008 with plans to run 12 courses per year. Developments in China, Canada, the Philippines and Hong Kong are also progressing.
A notice of proposed rule-making – NPRM 0708FS Multi-crew Pilot Licence was published on the CASA website on 25 July 2008. The NPRM proposes to implement the MPL in Australia.
Industry participants and members of the public are encouraged to read the NPRM and its associated Civil Aviation Advisory Publication (CAAP) and submit any responses to CASA no later than 5 September 2008. Australia is proposing to adopt the MPL in accordance with the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) Standard.
A proof of concept trial is being conducted in Brisbane with 6 students studying for the MPL. The course started in March 2007. The cadets are progressing towards the intermediate stage of the course where they will be learning about operating heavy aeroplanes in a multi-crew environment. They completed the core phase of training and the basic single engine aeroplane stage in June 2008.
CASA is closely monitoring the trial and will be using the information gathered during the trial to contribute to a global information sharing arrangement sponsored by ICAO. The intention is for training providers, airlines and civil aviation regulators to share information on the experiences gained in implementing the MPL as part of a continuous improvement and learning strategy.
CASA is committed to the concepts underpinning the MPL and the need to find ways to evolve pilot training through the use of modern simulation technologies, better training practices and the further adoption of human factors and threat and error management.
CASA is working closely with industry on the implementation of the MPL in Australia and is maintaining a close liaison with aviation regulators in the Asia Pacific region where the interest in the MPL is strong.
For more information contact:
Roger Crosthwaite
Personnel Licensing Education Training Group
CASA