I hate to detreact from 'our' argument here, but open cut miners DO pay for tickets on standard mining equipment to get into mines in the Hunter Valley, particularly Mt Arthur North where ex-butchers and Halls Creek ringers are earning $110k to work a 36 hour week.
HOWEVER, to convert that into its aviation equiuvalent:
that is the equivalent of getting your PPL on a C152, working for 6 months in a C182, and then straight into the left-hand seat in a B747.
On another note, I would like to thank all the Queer Link pilots for standing up and stating that such practices are unacceptable to the Pilot group... particularly galling after their attitude towards the Impulse boys when they paid for THEIR endorsements.
Good on ya fellas...
