Coff, I started at 664 at age 46 and sat in the hangar with a FSC aged 17 and went through the FRC's as you do. I'm now retired and he's flying left hand seat in executive jets.
Just think of how many cadets won't become FSCs and who are not going to get the opportunities to light the fires of aviation ambition (and not be trained by the crusty old CGI's who formed the backbone of the VGS's)