Originally Posted by
B747-437B
If you've ever interviewed entry level pilots, you probably would.
To break it down to very basic language, an MPL trains you to become an airline pilot from day one. The traditional CPL/ATPL system puts the a lot of weight on hours flown in a Cessna which is extremely different to the skills you need to fly a 747. With simulator technology the way it is today, you can actually use simulators to train a rookie pilot in a lot more areas relevant to flying airliners than towing banners might be.
Thanks for the clarification.
I agree a Cessna 172 is quite a world apart from flying a 747. Although pilots do have to learn how to fly a single engine plane (i.e. Cessna 172) first right (the concrete skill part)? I mean, mastering basic flying skills in a single engine prop plane first would seem to be the logical way to go about things. But the difference now is with much more emphasis on airline flying to begin with?