Cultural Differences?
Back in the 90s, I was leading a team with members from many of the Western Europe countries, and did a lot of reading on the differences between the cultures of the different nationalities.
One of the examples that I recall (and it may well be hypocraphal), was that the Royal Air Force took their best students from a Course and brought them back immediately as Instructors (that may explain the Creamies bit), and the French Air Force took their less able students.
The RAF logic was that if you’re really good at something, then it sets a standard to which the student can aspire. As already mentioned, the proviso has to be that the really good flyers are capable of explaining to a less able student what it was that they were doing and that the student should emulate. Ever tried to explain to one of your children how to ride a bicycle? The French logic was that by requiring a perfectly competent but perhaps less outstanding pilot to spend a tour instructing he would improve his skills and be able also to empathise better with the students. All of us have had the experience of only really finding out how much we know about a subject by being facing with the requirement to teach it.
Any QFIs done an exchange with L’ecole de l'air and could perhaps comment on the veracity of this story?