You make some very valid points, however, just because someone is great academically does not mean that they have the ability to control an aircraft. At my present company, the cadets all performed admirably in the academic dept, but when it comes to the flying stage, I believe the standards are, well, lets not go there shall we......
Some guys/ladies I know are excellent hands-on pilots, and find it difficult to get all that academic knowledge "in" their heads, and experience out in the field (as fo's)enables them to understand it all better and become better pilots over time. Not getting through the first hurdle, academically, doesn't mean they wont become great pilots.
Having said all that, I
would not like to be on the interview panel trying to figure out who looks like they will be a great pilot from reading through Matric pass results and little Timmy saying he is the most enthusiastic learner, willing to do "anything" for the cadetship. That's why we have such great people in the HR dept, hey?
