I believe a check flight is the best way to verify that a pilot has got the hours that is written in the log book.
Indeed. I agree. I've sim-checked quite a few job applicants of late, and while it's not a "check flight" per se, there are certain triggers to sow the seeds of doubt as to a candidate's integrity.
I can think of a few that really stood out and just did not gel with what was claimed in their log books. A little R&D usually confirms our suspicions.
That's around 4% just in applicants to my Company. So it is happening. In reality, the figure is probably higher as some people can "ace it" on the day. The remainder usually get nailed in the conversion or line training.
It just goes to show that we are all different and some will cross the line that the majority won't.......