Exams
The current exams if anything miss the point in some aspects and thoroughly cover what the PPL NEEDS to know in others.
The PPL exams are beyond comparison with the new DVLC drivers exams and tests. The PPL student takes 7 different papers. The spread of questions appear on the one hand to test a required knowledge of what they must know and in other respects appear to sample, presumably to check that they have read the books from cover to cover and have attended sufficient briefings.
One of the papers is called Human Performance and Limitations which includes questions on decision making singularly and shared. The flying syllabus and training standards demand considerable instruction in 'decision making'. Predictable emergencies for instance require mandatory training, such as; Stall/Spin Awareness, Forced Landings, aborted take off, Engine Failures after take off etc. Radio Telephony Communications are a major part of this and are tested thoroughly both in theory and practice.
At a recent Instructor seminar we received two challenging lectures by a lecturer in Psychology.
The point in regard to the PPL student, is when to draw the line.