I agree with the "old school" thinking. If a S/O has not beaten himself/herself around the bush for a few years scaring the Cr$p out of themselves on a least one occasion, then they are not much use to a airline. You cannot build a safe brick wall, unless you have a good foundation. In a word "Airmanship" cannot be learnt in a Sim, no matter how hard they try to tell you it can. With 24,000 hrs,16,000 on Jets, and check and training over 20 yrs, you can always tell a kid who has learnt the hard way. The only way. I have three flying, including a female, they were told to go bush, Daddy was not going to pay for something they had to learn, and learn they did, and some horror stories came out of it,(like having to live in a car, and live four to a room)!! but they look back on that time and are grateful for it, the time they spent in the bush. They are all in Airline jobs now and travelling well. That nonsense that was printed in the Australian last Friday, shows you which way it is all heading, "Instant F/O??!!" madness.