hello 1,
I am intrigued to know to when you refer as "in 'the day'". Let's go back 30 years. There were 2 written exams and 3 interview boards. 5000 series were still scrutinised and Flight and Squadron Commanders still wrote recommendations. There were far more pilots applying for each slot than there is now and selection was far more competitive. Most of the fast jet tps then were already QWIs so hardly pilots who did not 'cut it' on the front line. Therefore, there is nothing to support your assertion in support of flaps 62's comment.