It's been going on for at least 50 years !
I suspected one in the dim and distant when I was a young captain. All his BS just didn't ring true and, although he was quick, knew the manuals inside out and could programme the A/P like a genius, his basic manual flying skills were, well, basic. I've had PPL aeros students who were far more aware of what the aeroplane was doing.
He's presently doing a prison term for something unrelated !