DB
I think it's possible that the problem exists higher up the CAA rather than with the FOIs who generally have a lot of experience and tend to agree with our philosophies. It's the level at which policy is set and we need to focus our attention on those people to get them to understand the nature of our world these days.
My next assertion will be one that may cause a few ructions for we have a big problem developing with the quality of the sims we are given for these vital training roles. If you agree that a simulator that does not replicate the system behaviour of the real aircraft is unacceptable (it amounts to negative training) then we must demand that we change them for simulators that are 100% the same as the real aircraft.
I am fed up to the back teeth with having to apologise to students because "it doesn't do that in the real aircraft," or "sorry, that function doesn't work in the sim". Unreliable and inaccurate training devices are our ENEMY not our friend. Ban them forthwith I say, cast them out. It is simply not possible to deliver effective training with defective tools.
G.