In the old days...
...people died far more frequently and pilots opposed the introduction of cockpit voice recorders. Things have changed for the better since then.
Apples and oranges. In the old days, most pilots had a couple engine failures or shut-downs every year.
Requote: 'Engineering has changed for the better since then....'. Trouble is, I'm not sure that not getting any real-time experience has done much for piloting skills.