The thing is, EK probably doesn't have these requirements in place without a good reason.
Perhaps the
real "Gods of the sky" on this thread should visit the Emirates recruitment department, slam their fist on the table and tell them what their hiring policy
should be according to their superior believes!
Sorry, but
nobody can't put lipstick on a pig by suggesting a P3 is even
remotely close to a jet! It isn't, sorry!
The fact that you 'regularly fly' with these people in your, wow, B744 ***JET*** means they did make the transition and it wasn't a bridge too far.
As a matter of fact, the company I work for has since then changed the minimum requirements and now only wants people with jet experience due to the poor (past and present) performance of these T/P guys. The combination of less military T/P transport and more civilian jet experience has greatly improved the overall level of (sim) performance and drop out rate of people who didn't make the training or upgrade in our company. Sorry, but the statistics don't lie which is something most airlines have figured out and is reflected in their hiring policy.
Long haul flying is not your typical operation where one can
learn how to fly a jet with 20-30 take offs/landings per year. That's why most long haul companies want the
appropriate level of experience, which has
nothing to do with being a "God of the skies."