children of the magenta line
There are quite a few ppruners who cut their teeth on older types. Before stabilised approaches and SOPs. I am one, and my first airline type was a DC3, avoiding cumulo granitus in PNG for a couple of years. Not everything could be SOP. Before that, wartime ops with a lot of pressure to perform and not much pressure to comply.
Most COTML will never have the opportunity to fly like that, or gradually discover the limits of an aircraft and their own capabilities. There may be isolated pockets of aviation with those old methods, and sometimes some of those hardy folks will find their way into an airliner. I believe it is important that those alternative origin pilots recognise that most modern pilots have absolutely no chance to discover flying skills in the way they did.
The new age includes clear obligations to comply with regulations and SOPs. Deviations, with just cause, remain pilot prerogative. If an enquiry finds the deviation was not necessary, pilot will wear the consequences. That is how it works now.
Intercepting the GP at 365k, delaying an obvious missed approach or accepting ATC clearance to enter a runway for take-off with another cleared to land, seem to be pushing the limits a touch. For a start, the COTML in the right seat should not have to be put through that pressure, though they should be encouraged to sometimes hand fly without a/t. As the years roll by, even that will be banished to the sim as an abnormal procedure.
Airlines are unlikely to send their cadets to PNG or Africa for a year to toughen them up. So I think we are actually stuck with COTML, regulations and SOP. How we did it in our days may be interesting, but is now mostly irrelevant.