Airspeed1974,
It has to do with hoops. Some airlines require you to fly a sim. Delta doesn't. Why? They invite people who already know how to fly airplanes. They also require an extensive application. Why? Because it requires attention to detail and a tenacious attitude to complete it.

Don't want to jump through Delta's hoops? Feel free to not apply. My feeling is that if you have this much heartburn with just the app, you will not be at all happy with how Flt Ops runs things. They have been doing it this way for years, and it works for them. Untied and AA have a different app process. Might be a better fit for you.