C/A it boils down to one's personality. How much you knowledge you can suck out of thin air. There's no war stories in MEP GA or Easy A319 anymore. There's nowhere to learn those raw instincts from.
Practical issues aside, such as the non-existent GA / part 135 in EU which to-date remains the World's second most busy airspace.
My first international + jet flights were FRA, FRA, BRU, MAN, IST, MXP, CDG, MAD, FCO, no different to many others with 254 hrs at that time (+including 35° An-28 SIM for the IR). Even without an MPL or airline cadetships scheme, those destinations were specifically scheduled. LHR came on week 6, although that required 10 hrs groundschool with an LFI for the UK procedures.
Speaking of LHR and cadetships, I will not be too far off the mark assuming 50% of CMD of the BA's transatlantic fleet have joined the airline via the ab-initio route. Over all I think
hans' #40 hits the key points equally and objectively, no surprise from him.
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Yes the BA's cadets did not become captains after 4 years which also brings up the issue of demographics/age/maturity (as a group!). In which case I tend to smirk at the MPL captains (strangely enough, the FOs taste just fine). At the same time self-awareness observes that my own definition of 'reasonably acceptable' line of PIC experience lies exactly where I stood myself, seeing that as adequate, while rejecting any lesser experience of the younger others. Okay, know exactly where that came from.
The elephant in the room seems to be:
'The true core PIC competencies are forged by flying shoddy aeroplanes in crappy weather on a poorly paid mission with sub-standard infrastructural support under a relative absence of professional guidance and regulatory oversight.'
With a wide smile, I agree with that (pls fix the grammar before quoting me) but it's not a workable solution for the oncoming generation. And it was not for mine.
Pass your message?