Whirlybird;
Wisdom as usual from you. There are two very seperate issues here. There is little that the onshore market can do to help with experience requirements for pilots, but the retirement issue is one where we should stand firm. The recruitment situation is becoming desperate. Insurers put huge experience requirements on pilots, and the customers are learning, sadly from past experience that they want lots of hours and IR's. The onshore industry can't afford the training costs and needs to extend retirement so that the newer pilots have the chance to build hours and gain qualifications.
There is no attempt to keep youngsters out and to keep old mates in. It is simple economics. To sponsor someone through an IR is going to cost 35-40 thousand pounds, The onshore market doesn't have that money in it's training budget, at least none of the companies I speak to have.
You are right. There is a very dangerous risk of muddying the waters here.