I think we've danced this waltz on other threads fairly recently and a lot of the points alluded to regarding oversight or lack of on a day to day basis are valid and probably being put across better here than in the past.
Phil
You vindicate a/c training because its what you do.
I have a very good personal freind that did 5 hours + test in one of your aircraft and listened to a couple of days in the classroom and legally walked away with the 525 rating
Its not enough imho.
Safety is not about Chuck Yeager reaction times its about knowing the systems inside out and back to front The level of sophistication in the sim and CBT classroom spread over a couple of weeks just makes a better product.
The availability of repetative training or "batting practise" in the sim alone trumps training in the aircraft, you might do one V1 RTO in the aircraft maybe two (tempting a brake fire [ ask me how I know ]), you could do 10 in 10 minutes in the sim as well as many other things that would give your a/c insurer a baby.
Your comments about training on the aircraft you intend to fly aren't really valid as the sim might only have small differences in avionics or customer options such as different FMS's - the electrical/hydraulic/controls are the same and these will be the things that crews need most training on and where the training should be focused.
This is one of the reasons without covering old ground that I took umbridge at the derision of corporate operators in some of yours and FNPL's previous posts.
The guy fresh of the sim course will be better trained to deal with real life emergencys than somebody who has done one of your 5-8 hour TR's. I know it, the insurers that offer a discount in premiums know it and probably you do as well (setting the fact that you train on the aircraft to one side for a second)
The CAA can only enforce you to be legal to the minimum required standard , in difficult economic times its difficult to take training to the next level and turn a profit so which one comes first? which brings us all back to this invisible shield of AOC safety that all AOC holders think is provided by the CAA stamped certificate on the wall.
Having said all that from speaking to Barnesy the other day, you're very busy and staying safe at the same time so you're obviously doing something right... long may it continue