No way am I going to be suckered into thinking I tried to start some sort of who-is-better than who between civilian and military pilots. And, when did James Bond become so emotional? I always figured 007 for being a little cooler at the controls.

Suggesting that military pilots are better than civilians could not be further from the intent of my post. I have a lot of great friends and co-workers who were only civilian trained - and, without exception, they are solid aviators. I would never be-little their airmanship. However, just as much of a rule, is the sense that their post training/certificate experience is where they became great aviators. The licenses and certificates seem to serve only as a work permit to start really learning/training. I would simply like to see a system whose COMMERCIAL certificates, in and of themselves, mean a whole lot more to both those who earn them and those whose hiring demand them. The best way to do that is by setting standards that fewer (sorry if I hurt some feelings) will be willing to meet. A guy/girl who earns an ATP should want to hang it on the wall like a doctor hangs his credentials. I don't see much of that.