Originally Posted by
Pilot DAR
Is concerning. This should be recognized by the instructor, and, yes, reeled in! Some new pilots have unrealistic opinions of their own skills relative to airplane performance, and need to be "told" for their own good. If they will not listen, that's a big red flag. I've encountered a few such pilots, and had to take extra steps for their own safety.
It turns out that almost all of us have unrealistic opinions of our skills. This is the Dunning-Kruger effect, we usually take it to mean that dumb people think they are smart, but in fact it happens all the way along the performance curve, with only the very best underestimating their performance. And it has been shown to apply to a huge range of skills and comprehensions. Of course the gap is the most glaring at the bottom end of actual ability, but I suggest instructors need to be aware that everyone, including themselves, can be a victim of D-K.
(trust me, I am an expert in human psychology
)
