I think one of the reasons history seems to repeat itself constantly is culture. Bear with me. Individuals who become Checkers/Examiners in small time GA fall into 2 camps.
The first and very very small camp are the amazing mentors, the ones who truly have a passion for GA. The ones who have a tireless ability and attitude to train, guide and encourage employees and students. The sort of pilots and people you want to emulate in every aspect of airmanship, ability and attitude. In my 20 years of flying, I have met 2 such people.
The second camp are the dregs. The ones due to poor ability or attitude couldn’t make it any further and are essentially ‘stuck’ in GA. They have seen their contemporaries go onto bigger and better things, they become resentful of the industry. As a result, this type of individual puts little effort into self improvement, as it isn’t their fault, it’s ‘the industry’. The flipside of this is these individuals are seen as a fantastic option to some operators as ‘they aren’t going anywhere’. So what you end up seeing is all the dregs floating to the top. These individuals often have little desire to teach, mentor or pass on knowledge to the next, younger generation of pilots. We have probably all met this type of individual and probably have fairly vivid memories of the meeting.
How do we cultivate a better culture and encourage a better sort of individual to stay in GA? I don’t know, just my ramblings from my limited experience. Better pay in GA maybe? No idea.
j3
Please note, this is in no way, shape, or form a comment on the Rossair accident or the individuals involved.