Introduction
So now you have completed the CPL along with the required ratings. You are finally ready to apply for airline jobs, right? Not just yet, you still need a few more pieces of training to get the final certificates. These are not really a part of your licence but they are required to be done before you can fly for an airline. These are the Multi-crew Cooperation Course (MCC), Jet Orientation Course (JOC) and the latest requirement is the Advanced Upset Prevention and Recovery Training (AUPRT).
MCC/JOC
The MCC course is required by airlines usually before you can send your application or in some rare cases, before you start your first type rating training. So you should want to get it done as soon as you can. However, there is no harm in taking a break after your CPL/ME/IR course. It has most likely been quite an intense time so take a few weeks to cool down if you need to. I would recommend not leaving it too long however, as it will help you still be fresh with your flying knowledge, especially your IFR skills.
The goal of the MCC is to build your multi pilot skills. The training is not so much about your physical flying skills but more about how you interact with your crew mate in normal flight and also in abnormal and emergency situations. You will learn procedures and SOPs, similar to those used by airlines.
The JOC is in many cases done at the same place as the MCC and together. The JOC teaches some of the handling differences when moving from piston aircraft you are used to flying, and jet engine aircraft.
The quality of the course can vary wildly depending on where you go. When choosing where to do your course, you should look for what kind of facilities and reviews the organisation has. When looking at facilities, it may be worth looking at the type of simulator used. Some places use generic simulators that don't represent any specific aircraft, others have approved replicas of well known aircraft such as the A320 and B737 (the same simulators can be used for airline assessments).
Choosing a place that have such a simulator will help you get used to the cockpit style and will certainly help you when you get to your airline interviews. But again remember the main goal of this training is to get you used to working in a multi crew cockpit so going somewhere with a different aircraft simulator than your target airline's aircraft, isn't a major disadvantage.
APS MCC
The Airline Pilot Standards MCC, is a course that is designed to enhance the level of the standard MCC into a more rigorous and advanced course. The simulator time is doubled when compared to the standard MCC and the overall quality of the course is regarded as much higher. You may see that Ryanair offer their own specific program that teaches their own SOPs which is certainly a great advantage if you want to fly for Ryanair. But the APS does come at an additional cost, which can be around double of the standard MCC/JOC.
There is still the question of if it is worth to do the APS over the standard MCC. The APS is not a firm requirement to apply to any airline, and having the MCC will not disqualify you from being selected. Some airlines such as Ryanair do state that having the APS is an advantage over the standard MCC and their assessment success rates do reflect this. However most airlines don't mention the APS in their job listings at all. This could change in the future, but for now you will need to assess if it is worth the additional time and cost for your self.
AUPRT
The AUPRT is a quite recent addition to the requirements to apply for an airline. You will need it before you are able to start your first type rating. The purpose is to teach you how to correctly recover the plane from an unusual or upset state. You will have already done similar training during your previous learning. You may remember it as when your instructor asks you to close your eyes as they point the plane in an unusual attitude, and then you have to recover it. The AUPRT is similar although you will be taught how to be more methodical in your recovery, keeping in mind your goal is to perform such recoveries in large transport aircraft.
This training can be done on a range of aircraft from a Cessna 152 to even the aerobatic Extra 300, depending on where you choose to do your training.
Some schools can take it above what is required and give you a taste of aerobatics once you have demonstrated you can complete the required exercises of the AUPRT. Other places keep it more to the book. In terms of hiring prospects, it's not going to make much difference where you do it, so decide what you want to get out of it, either doing it as cost efficiently as possible or paying a bit more to get a broader experience.
Conclusion
At last you have all the licences, ratings and certificates you need to apply to airline positions. What comes next depends on the situation at the time. As of writing this, the situation is not a good one for low hour, newly qualified commercial pilots as almost no airlines are hiring non-type rated pilots, and those that are, charge heavily for the type rating.
But the signs are positive that things are getting better with the airline industry recovering and more airlines beginning recruitment, mostly for type rated pilots at the moment, but this will likely move onto non-type rated pilot positions opening up.
About The Author
Humzah Sharif - "I am a qualified commercial pilot that finished my training just as the Covid-19 Pandemic hit Europe. I started my training at 18 alongside my university studies and have done my training around Europe, mostly in the UK and Poland, while navigating the issue of Brexit. Since then, I have been working on maintaining my ratings and skills while I try to find an opportunity to achieve my goal of finding employment as a pilot.
Currently, I am working at Flightpath Training as a Marketing and Communications Assistant, which has given me a chance to stay connected to the industry while it recovers."
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