Gilles,
You wrote:
In the 17th and 18th century, many armies were led by officers that had not gained their military commissions through merit and experience, but paid for them. There was a price to become a Lieutenant, a Captain, a Major, a Colonel, not only to join the military, but also to get promotions once you were in. The richer people were always in command of the poor. This practice of selling military commissions has ceased in most modern countries now. Anyone care to take a wild guess on why this practice has ceased ?,
Wild guess? Well has it ceased? In 'modern' countries? For my money, any one that pays for a battle commission is welcome to the fate of their decision, though George Washington did get to keep the farm at Mt. Vernon.
During the period you mention, there were no standing armies. Company officers recruited private (for pay) soldiers in times that required "defense". Voluntary milita was largely without stipend. Today, however, every 'nation' seems to have one ...i.e. standing military force (Costa Rica is now one notable peaceful exception)
Today we (the poor taxpayers) pay an exorbitant amount for initial (even more for advanced) training for military pilots, and yet you seem to suggest that any young inexperienced guy or girl who wants to pay the market rate to change his or her profession voluntarily should be excluded from the industry by forceful regulation? That did not even work in 'modern' times. Former USSR springs to mind.
Governments will always distort markets, and as you know airlines love military pilots, who of course are extremely well trained. From an airlines point of view government training is simply a most welcome "P2F" taxpayer subsidy.
On the military note, now that almost every country has a permanent big swinging d..k..one, ..oddly enough......we seem to have a lot more wars.