Does anyone find this excessive?

It's not just excessive, it's counterproductive.

Huge checkout requirements drive away the experienced pilot. He knows
they're excessive for him, meaning he's not really going to learn much
of anything in the process. It's just a cost and hoops to jump
through. He also knows that high end planes tend not to stay on the
line very long, so he will take a wait-and-see attitude.

The inexperienced pilot will pay for the checkout, since he knows he
needs it and in any case figures he will learn something. He will then
fly the plane. So we have high end rental planes being flown almost
exclusively by inexperienced pilots. Wonder if that might have
anything to do with the loss rate on those...

Michael