I don't disagree that the ability to handle the airplane with a reasonable level of skill is important, but the Devil's Advocate in me questions your insinuation that cadets are ok
Until the
hits the fan of course.....
My bold.
My point is that the record shows few, if any, incidents or accidents due to low experience or an associated low level of handling ability. By inference, most incidents or accidents happen to experienced pilots.
Provided the Captain is competent, the low experience of the cadet is unlikely to be the cause of the incident or accident. Or so say the stats.... for now...
Personally, I do believe that the overall level of inherent safety is depleted by the cadet recruitment programme at many European Airlines
if it is coupled with a regime of early command upgrades.
That the numbers of incidents or accidents is generally on the decrease is quite obviously due to the simplification and reliability of the equipment, the ATC environment, and not due to an influx of better pilots.