SAS
Funnily enough I have just returned from supper at the New Inn at Mabe-Burnthouse but a solitary G & T is not the cause of my apparent delusion.
Should your assertion that double standards are rife be true (and I think it is) then we have a dilemma that can only be fixed if the folk in OGP companies get their act together. That unfortunately may bring conflict with the politics of those areas reluctant to embrace the principle of competence defined by universal standards.
There are other customers outside the OGP orbit that are probably totally ignorant of this problem and assume that any properly licensed pilot is going to be acceptable. Some companies (very few actually) do send their prospective employees for a simulator check-ride and a very telling experience it can be for those involved. These customers may possibly bring pressure to bear but maybe not.
One thing is for sure, if the industry does not get a grip the cumulative effects of more complex helicopters, expansion in markets where experience is weak, regulation oversight poor and understanding of the issues almost non-existent t will cause a spiral of decline. Globalisation of the pilot market will mean this spiral will infect all areas to a greater or lesser extent.
G.