BA's training is not as impressive as we (BA pilots) would like to think. I believe that our recruitment is robust and we tend to set a minimum standard that sometimes causes 'shortages of suitability', but our training community have become slowly wedded to management. Senior positions within the training community tend to be managers or trainers who are keenest to become managers (with notable exceptions). The result is that the overall 'ethos' within BA has been one of risk management rather than airmanship. 'Airmanship' was even outlawed by training as an expression of overall ability a few years back!
Where the misconceptions lie within the non-BA UK flying community is the belief that BA pilots are arrogant or even think themselves superior to others. They garner this impression from our conversations with ATCO's, which often are to the say the least, 'assertive' in nature. From our side of the cockpit door, we are gagged by the industries most limiting SOP's that are formulated from the "Ministry of Trend Analysis".
SESMA (Trend Analysis) has caused the outlawing of Manual Throttles on the Airbus. The insistence of Gear Down at 2000' (Only changed recently on the basis of fuel useage). The list is very long. Most are sensible gates. Some are not.
We are governed by Risk Analysis first, Airmanship second and I hope that we differ from other UK pilots because of that. I would contest that our priorities, for a company our size, are in the right order. Where we seem to lack 'skill' is some of our community find it difficult to put subtly, our more restrictive SOP's within the context of the flying environment to other pilots and ATCO's!
The Heavy Heavy
I sometimes think that one of the main reasons for our disfunctional relationship with our managers is because at the moment, the BACC consists mainly of non-ex-military and management is mainly ex-military.