forced?? word choice in some of the comments is illuminating.

phase one - cast and advertise a very wide net for good candidates starting at zero hours (military does similar) and one not relying on applicant’s access to family plane, family connections to airlines, etc etc

phase two - train and vet those successful candidates thoroughly to meet and exceed our own standards and expectations

phase three: profit!! (sorry, South Park reference) - get well qualified pilots who have come from a much larger applicant pool than one typically finds AND avoid falling victim to a diminishing pipeline of qualified candidates from military and regional background

on what planet is this a bad thing?