To be fair, it would seem that when these exercises were created the only thing that was of concern was a low altitude stall leading to impact with terrain. Little or no altitude loss was of prime concern in order to try & avoid impact. These exercises were done in the sim at 10,000' in order to take a little of the stress out & ensure that impact did not occur, as that was considered negative training. Perhaps they should have been done at lower altitudes in order to create a realistic scenario & instil some respect for the seriousness of the situation.
However, this has now lead to these techniques being applied by flight crews across the entire stalling scenario spectrum, including high altitude stalls & upsets. Due to the lack of specific training in high altitude stalls, some pilots have fallen back on the only stall recovery techniques that they know.
The large range of operating conditions that are experienced by a airline jet pilot today means that there is not a 'one size fits all' for many areas of the operation. There are also differences between flying smaller, prop driven aircraft & jet transport aircraft. Flight crews need to understand that & be comprehensively trained in ALL aspects of the operation, including the differences in stalling at low & high altitude. D.P. Davies book, Handling the Big Jets, is a good start for those moving onto jet transport aircraft however, a lot of those who I fly with have never read it.
We have already had a good example of what happens when you try to use techniques taught when learning to fly on large jet aircraft when AA587 lost it's tail due to the F/O's excessive use of rudder in turbulence. It appears that he was using rudder to 'pick up the dropped wing', which is a technique I was taught when learning to fly. This technique was taught in order to prevent a further wing drop at the stall due to aileron input. When I first started flying jet transport aircraft, I remember reading somewhere that 'except for an engine failure, or when in the circuit area, the rudder pedals should be used as footrests only'.
D.P. Davies gives the following advice to airline pilots. -
"Know your aeroplane - and I do not mean only your system drills. References have been made in this book to all sorts of qualities that the aeroplane may possess and you should know the values of them all for the type you are licensed to fly. All this information exists. Go and dig it out or have it dug out for you. Under normal operating conditions of course you can live without a lot of the more exotic information; but when things go badly wrong then having this background information might make all the difference.
Do not become lazy in your professional lives. The autopilot is a great comfort, so are the flight director and the approach coupler. But do not get into the position where you need these devices to complete the flight. Keep in practice in raw data ILS, particularly in crosswinds. Keep in practice in hand-flying the aeroplane at altitude and in making purely visual approaches.
Airline flying really is money for old rope most of the time; but when things get hairy THEN you earn your pay. The demand of jet transport flying can best be met by enthusiasm. Personal enthusiasm for the job is beyond value because it is a built-in productive force, and those who have it do not have to be pushed into practice and the search for knowledge. Enthusiasm thus generates its own protection. This is the frame of mind which needs to be developed for the best execution of the airline pilot's task."
Perhaps a little more personal enthusiasm for the job is all that is required.