Hi all
I’m thinking about doing a competency based IR. From reading through old forum posts I understand that at the end you get a IR without any restrictions, however I was wondering if I decide to do an ATPL at some point in the future would I need to do the full IR again or would I only be required to do the theoretical part not covered in the CBIR?
Thanks
Jonas
I think you’re talking about the TK? If you do CB IR exams you would have to do the full ATPLs – if you have any inclination of going commercial route I would always recommend doing the ATPL TK to be honest.
So the TK is independent of any other preexisting licenses? Meaning you always have to do the whole thing? Or say I do the IR now (not CB) can I avoid redoing that part of the theory?
Welcome to EuroGA, PepperJo 
The situation is a bit like this this and other similar threads.
If you want the EASA ATPL then there is no way to avoid doing the full set of 14 exams. There is a conversion route for experienced heavy-jet pilots. But you don’t need the ATPL unless you are going to work for a big AOC operator (an airline, basically).
One factor is what credits from previous exams you can get towards the 14. I don’t know the current details but it is only 1 or 2 from the original JAA IR (Human Performance & Limitations being a usual one to be credited). From the 7 (?) CBIR exams, the credit towards the 14 will be no more than 1, I think. So irrelevant. So if you really want the ATPL, forget the CBIR (7) exams and forget the CPL (13) exams and just do the full set of 14 ATPL exams before commencing the CBIR training.
What credit there is from the old flight training, is a better Q. The CBIR is a full IR and if you later do the EASA CPL, and have done the full 14 “ATPL” exams, then you have a “frozen ATPL”. Then you need to stuff 500hrs in a multi pilot cockpit into your logbook and do a flight test and you get the EASA ATPL.
There is a lot of stuff posted online that this “private route” makes you look bad at an airline interview, and that you should throw 80-100k at an FTO, but I suspect this is bollocks, because if you are good at the interview and you are a great pilot (you ace the simcheck) you will go right past most of the queue.
Peter wrote:
There is a lot of stuff posted online that this “private route” makes you look bad at an airline interview, and that you should throw 80-100k at an FTO, but I suspect this is bollocks, because if you are good at the interview and you are a great pilot (you ace the simcheck) you will go right past most of the queue.
The problem the airlines have is that they see an endless supply of almost indistinguishable applicants. All have 200hrs and a frozen ATPL from an integrated school, as well as a cheap white shirt with naff epaulettes and not much in the way of life experience. The sim check tells them something, but average pilots can have a good day and great pilots can have a bad day.
To be honest, if you’ve the organisation, the common sense and the practicality to put yourself through the modular route – where there is more to it than paying money and doing as you’re told – then you’re probably the sort of person who is going to come across far better at interview that the kids from the integrated school. You’ll be the one who gets the interviewer thinking that they’re actually now interviewing a professional for a professional role rather than screening kids for work experience.
Having spent a few days living in a cheap hotel at Bournemouth some years ago while doing some IR ground school at an FTO, and meeting the “indistinguishable applicants” there, I could not agree more
It also fits squarely into this thread
OTOH, as a recruiter, one might prefer someone without family etc commitments… The starting pay is pretty low.
Peter, Graham, Balliol
Thanks for your input. I read through the threads Peter linked. I also found some other threads discussing how long the ATPL TK is valid. So if I read FCL.025(c)(1) and FCL.025(c)(2) correctly I have 36 month for the CPL/IR/EIR after the TK and 7 years after IR entry in the license for the ATPL.
At the moment going the commercial route is just a hypothetical for me but I get your points regarding the interview. As always there are many opinionated people that tell you their way is the right way :)
7 years after IR entry in the license for the ATPL
That’s an interesting one. So, with just a CPL/IR your exams expire after 7 years if you forget the annual revalidations (unless you have been flying on another ICAO IR in the meantime) but with an ATPL they never expire?
A search for “7 years” might dig out some bizzarely interesting threads, like this one.
How about doing an FAA IR and then converting that to an EASA IR. That avoids the TK conundrum or at least delays it for a while you decide if you want to go commercial.
You have to go to the USA nowadays, do the TSA and visa stuff, and then log 50hrs IFR as PIC before applying for the CBIR conversion.
Not worth doing unless you have an N reg, or want the FAA papers which have a wide worldwide acceptance and never expire.
