Originally Posted by
Capt Pit Bull
10% just terrible. No chance of passing a selection or a type rating course, and fundamentally untrainable. (how did this person pass an IR?). Recommendation: Give up.
40% to varying degrees with serious gaps in capability. Far too much of a training risk to be given a job (if my neck was on the block over it) BUT trainable. With proper remedial training could be brought up to a reasonable standard given enough time.
35% pretty reasonable. Trainable albeit with a few weaknesses. Slight risk, but ought to be ok on a type rating with decent training support.
10% Good. Shouldn't be any training risk at all.
5% Excellent. Forget the type rating, I'd fly the line with this person right now.
Age is much less of a factor than previous quality of training.
I’d have to agree with you wholeheartedly.
In my years of instructing I came to a similar conclusion.
3 out of a 100 can’t be dragged through a Private pilot course. At least not by me. 3% of the population cannot learn how to fly. They lack mechanical aptitude and a general lack of intuition. These are also the people that can’t use a screwdriver, hire somebody to change a lightbulb and are generally not very good with anything that involves motion. Be a motorbike or a car or a boat.
Interestingly enough, these tend to be very brainy people, very booksmart.
Then there’s the 3/100 that are naturally gifted intuitive with being in motion. You show them and they basically teach themselves with guidance. Not a garantee for success as some get lazy, don’t study and fail academics. I’ve seen a kid dumb as a box of rocks and simply gifted in the airplane. Very intuitive and his landings were better than mine.
Never finished his Private as he failed his written test 5 times then never came back. Parents blamed us as ‘Johnny wanted to be a pilot’.
The remaining 94% are a sliding scale between very mediocre to very good and all shades in between.
Nurture and nature.
Shy and insecure students that solo late can blossom and turn out great.
The initially better too cocky students generally need a reality check somewhere along the line. Usually a failed exam.