411A
you make a fine point about learning from past mistakes...one very sad thing is there is no real mechanism other than personal study, on how things came to be in flying.
why we do things.
I'll wager that a number of people can't tell us why the low altitude airway structure is called Victor airways.
What the airways were called before they were Victor airways.
how the runway markings came about.
and why we check the compass on runway line up.
There is an old axiom about how to remove your bayone from your rifle in the US Army. There is the Army way, and the obvious way. The obvious way is to grab the rifle barrel and pull off the bayonet. The army way is to put the rifle stock between your legs and pull off the bayonet.
If someone explains why the army has you look dorky to take off your bayonet, then you realize how smart the old ways are.
And if you can't figure out this bayonet drill, then you might learn the hard way.
Sadly, the modern "ratings factory" method of producing pilots often leaves gaps in Airmanship and Aeronanutical knowledge.