With respect to the post that started this thread. Any club which uses PPL's to teach what is meant to be the initial lesson plan of the PPL sylabus is operating so far beyond the pale it simply must be reported to the authorities.
With respect to the further discussion of currency check rides I think it is important to remember why Flying Clubs have currency requirements. It is to ensure that renter pilots continue to be safe to fly. I would suggest this determination is far from black and white and in fact currency check rides require quite a bit of discrimination to be able to extrapolate flying skills demonstrated in a short flight into a determination the pilot will likely be able to safely deal with any possible contingency he/she may encounter.
In my case I did a few currency rides as a CPL before getting my instructor rating. In retrospect I really had no idea what I was looking for. My Club stopped the practice of non instructors doing checkouts after a renter pilot crashed a club aircraft the day after his checkout by a non instructor CPL club member. In a perfect world these checks should be done by the most experienced instructors as they have the broad experience that will recognize the difference between a pilot who is rusty but safe and one who is heading for a potential accident.
Another point no one has mentioned is the ability of instructors to correct bad habits. I can think of many small items I have bought up in check ride debriefs . A lot are not dangerous practices but small items that unchecked will cause undue wear and tear on the aircraft. I do not think most PPL's can do this.
Finally while this might sound self serving, I think there is a world of difference between a good pilot and a good instructor. I did not appreciate the difference untill I took my QFI training. I thought because I was a good CPL pilot, instructing could not be that hard. It did not take long to realise how wrong I was.
