Yes, it does seem like a very different kettle of fish now that you outline it like that, Chimbu.
I do often question whether the training we get here these days is of any comparison to that around the world too, when I hear of European airlines putting 2 - 300hr 22yr olds in the right seats of 737s, etc.
By the time they are upgraded to command, the bulk of their experience is from the right hand seat. It is therefore surprising that the accident rate up there is not higher, especially given the adverse weather conditions that they face from day to day compared to here.
They are missing out on the basics learned by spending reasonable amounts of time at each step of the ladder....this is what we mean when we say so many pilots these days, in GA especially, but even regionals 'just don't know what they don't know'
What scares me is that in 30 odd years or so (maybe even less), I could well be sitting here saying exactly that, how standards have slid over the generation(s). Hopefully though, the accident rates will be less, somehow.
There doesn't appear to be an easy fix to this sort of problem...
520.