Northbeach
I agree with about everything you say including the bits about unsafe rich pilots.
I am not a rich pilot, all I have done is own and run a professional charter company for 30 years and it has been one hell of a hard slog.
I have been a IRE/TRE (check airman to you) and have conducted hundreds of licence/rating renewals and have come to the conclusion about the pilot population as this
10% are superb aces
80% are all about the same plus or minus depending on how much effort they put
into the job.
10% should be stacking shelves.
Most experienced check airmen will agree with these figures. It just shows that being a pilot is not rocket science and not like being a brain surgeon. It is a profession that hones it's members skills mainly by experience not the colour or type of licence nor how big the type rating.
I have been rated on 4 engined heavies to twin props and in my view the bigger the plane the easier it has been and the 10/80/10 split applies to them all.
I am not knocking pilots for wanting to get max money but this industry is changing and many pilots are not changing with it
.