Whilst not wishing to annoy all the hard working instructors out there I do have one small point to make.
I have over 1000hrs including some 750 hours instructional time having come through the old system to CPL.
I consider myself to be a good instructor who cares about his students and let my pupils fly the aircraft as much as they can from the outset. Whilst I demonstrate the various exercises and am able to carry them out well my total actual hands on stick time is probably only about 5% of the 750+hours instructional time I have logged. I hope this is the case with any good instructor as really we should be sitting there while the student flies not the other way around (though I do hear of instructors who are always grabbing the controls and assume this is because they do not feel comfortable in the aircraft or their ability to recover from the students mistakes).
Having moved into the world of commercial flying I am aware that once removed from the set paramaters of instructing where you know and control most of the variables of each flight ie. the same old navex route. which fields for forced landings etc. things can soon begin to pile up on the new CPL Pilot.
Customers who change their destination in mid flight, unfamiliar landing sites that in no way match the description given and are marginal on size. Flying out of balance and bordering on vortex so the cameraman can get that shot just right for the director, airspace such as Silverstone with their quick turn round times and multiple radio calls and frequency changes not to mention the good old pressure of your mouth saying yes and your stomach saying no when given a job as you don't want to upset/look bad to the boss. This last one being a real problem for new/young pilots who have just got the first paying job. The list goes on.
In all having gained your hours to CPL through instructing I do believe that there is room for some to expect more from you than you can give. Whilst we have the hours on paper this is slightly misleading. At least with a fresh new 185 hour CPL the company knows (or should do) that you really need to have your hand held and brought along slowly and with plenty of on going training and supervision as you build your experience levels up.
Yes if the donkey stops I am sure that any good in practice instructor will get everyone down in one piece however I can also see him having a CFIT accident in low vis while scud running to try and complete a job he is not happy with so as to keep that valuable first job. Something an ex military boy would probably be less likely to do due to his experience levels as well as maturity to tell the boss to stick it.
I accept there are exceptions to the rule and do not wish to upset anyone here but my point is, being an instructor does not automatically make you a good commercial pilot and so ending this route to CPL does not mean an immediate shortage of "experienced" pilots.
As to being able to earn as you build your way to a CPL I find this hard to follow. Requiring as you do 300hrs on helicopters to becom an FI in the first place you most likely spent a good £30 to £35,000 pounds on PPl and hours building followed by another £6000 or so on an instructor course where as this £42,000 pound or so could go a long way towards a CPL in the first place.
I await to be shot down in flames.
