There used to be an expression in RN flying training circles "chop for job security" i.e. the more students that fail to get through the more they need the pilots already in!
The jolly old CAA exams are, to me, not much different. True, you don't need to be a genius to fly an aircraft but at least the 'difficulty' in jumping through the exam hoops (they are not that difficult just bloody awkward and often utterly spurious) stops the market being flooded with qualified pilots...... no shortage of pilots = low pay (or in the rotary wing world even lower pay).
So, pain in the but or not I would vote for the status quo... at least until I retire
