Thanks for those replies - pretty much what I expected
Guess I'll have to buy Flight Sim 2002 Pro and get Mrs Ropey to bring me coffee in plastic cups till somebody finally lets me fly one of the real ones.
p.s. Can you imagine any other job where you have to pay £40,000 for your own training with no guarentees and no-one will even let you see what you are going to do at the end of it!
Suppose while everyone is willing to do it (myself included) it won't change.