PFO here. Well over 5000 hrs mostly command TP, no jet. Too near 50? Too many TP hours? ?(the Zimbabwean $ of flying experience; current rate 1 trillion TP / 1 jet). Maybe I they just didn't like my answers/examples on the form. Guess I'll never know, but as Resurgam says (and I think we work for the same company) you've got to try.
The timing of picking up the email as I disembarked with my family from my Thomson flight home today was awesome.