1. Thanks to EASA regulations, many European airlines accept applications for Second and First Officer positions from flight training graduates.
2. An EASA ATPL ‘unfreezes’ once you have successfully flown and logged 1500 hours. This means you will be issued with a full Airline Transport Pilot Licence by the authorities. This in turn opens up career progression opportunities and options for a professional Pilot such as becoming a captain.
3. The regulator must see paper evidence of your hours.
These hours must be recorded by you in your Professional Pilot Log Book, correctly logged and signed.
4. Not all ATPLs are unfrozen equal.
EASA accepts a combination of minimum hours required, which can vary from Pilot to Pilot. Your 1500 hours must include: 500 hours in multi-pilot operations on aircraft.
500 hours as Pilot In Command (PIC) under supervision (PICUS) OR 250 hours as PIC OR 250 hours as PIC under supervision, including at least 70 hours as PIC, 200 hours of cross-country flight time, of which at least 100 hours should be as PIC OR as PIC under supervision, 75 hours of instrument time, of which not more than 30 hours can be instrument ground time, 100 hours of night flying as PIC or co-pilot.