That reminds me of an incident I investigated where a dual instructional flight ran off the side of the runway. The investigation basically highlighted that the instructor kept making vague comments like “what are you doing?” and “where are you going?” instead of giving clear corrective instruction. Not once did they actually say something simple and actionable like “right rudder” or “go around. That’s a really poor instructional standard. She didn't even try to take over In a developing situation, especially with a student, the instructor’s job is not to critique but it’s to intervene early, clearly, and decisively. Hesitation or passive commentary can turn a recoverable deviation into an accident.
I saw a video recently of an instructor talking a student female asian student through a take-off at Moorabbin and honestly the patter was some of the worst I’ve heard that was overly wordy, no substance in the patter -- full of slang, unclear and no real command presence. If I’d pattered like that back in my instructing days I doubt I would’ve passed. It genuinely makes me wonder how some people are getting signed off for instructor ratings these days. CASA has really lost the plot IMO It does feel like standards have slipped a lot, especially with the number of GA accidents in Australia lately, probably compounded by rapid hour building, fewer genuinely passionate instructors, and training turning into a box-ticking exercise instead of producing confident, decisive pilots. The VET-fee pipeline hasn’t helped either. The social media influence is another issue, I’ve seen female instructors posting about students like it’s content or personal branding, the whole “ohh look at me" "I'm a Grade 1 instructor" "look at my journey to the airlines” thing. Old school or not, instructing carries real responsibility; it’s about being a role model not building an image or advertising a pathway to the airlines.