AN AIR CARRIER CHECK AIRMAN SUGGESTS THAT HIS AIR CARRIER ALLOW PILOTS TO FLY PRACTICE RNAV APPROACHES BECAUSE KNOWLEDGE OF AND PROFICIENCY AT THAT APPROACH TYPE IS LOW.

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DECIDED TO FLY THE RNAV APCH AT ZZZ FOR CREW PROFICIENCY. OTHER THAN CAPT; NONE OF OTHER 3 PLTS HAD EVER SEEN NOR CONDUCTED AN RNAV APCH IN THE ACFT. RNAV APCH WAS PLANNED 2 DAYS PRIOR AT BRIEFING. DESPITE STUDYING FOR THE APCH THE FO WAS STILL CONFUSED ABOUT ALL THAT AN RNAV APCH ENTAILS. WE REQUESTED THE RNAV Y. CTLR CLRED US THE Z RNAV BECAUSE HE DID NOT HAVE LATEST REVISION. HE WAS UNFAMILIAR WITH ONE OF THE FIXES ON THE APCH AND WE HAD TO SPELL IT FOR HIM. HE ASKED NUMEROUS QUESTIONS ON WHY WE WERE CONDUCTING THE APCH. I GOT THE IMPRESSION THAT HE HAD NO TRAINING IN RNAV APCHS. HE WAS SURPRISED THAT WE COULD SHOOT THE APCH WHEN AN ILS WAS OFF THE AIR. HE INITIALLY CLRED US TO INTERCEPT THE LOC DUE TO FORCE OF HABIT. AT THE B777 LCA (LINE CHK AIRMAN) MEETING IT WAS MENTIONED THAT THE COMPANY/FAA WAS LOOKING AT ALLOWING IFR RNAV APCHS. AT THIS TIME I BELIEVE THAT THIS IS NOT A GOOD IDEA. THERE ARE A HOST OF RNAV ISSUES THAT ARE NOT APCHED IN TRAINING. SO WE HAVE CREW MEMBERS WHO ARE NOT ACFT PROFICIENT AND CTLRS THAT ARE NOT PROFICIENT. THIS IS A LETHAL COMBINATION. AS A MINIMUM THE FLEET SHOULD EMAIL PLTS TO START SHOOTING APCHS AND PASS LESSONS LEARNED BACK TO FLEET. EVERY IOE SHOULD BE REQUIRED TO SHOOT AN RNAV APCH IF AVAILABLE.