The problem is the lack of consistancy in Flying Instruction within the UK.
Not only are each individual instructors standards different but also each schools and each examiners.
The ex-mil people have been trained by a system which has to have set high standards, in far more demanding situations than any of us will fly in. Each ex-mil has had upwards of a million pounds pumped into there training, I should hope that they are of a better standard than your 45k wannabie flying instructor who is living on bake beans and struggling to repay thier loans.
But they are good at instructing only a certain type of individual, but utterly wrong for other types. Personally I like their honesty in your skill level and their clinical briefs and debriefs. I tried to do that when I started instructing. But quickly found that about 80% of students don't have the mental capacity, and or, are in a state of mental exhaustion after a lesson to really take what you are saying in. Or they are learning to fly for fun and don't want to be bollocked for ever cockup on their day off.
For the rest of the instructors and examiners to come up to the uniformity of the mil trained people would cost a fortune and also there is no push from the belgrano or europe for this.
As much as I bitch and argue with Beagle it needs someone of his experence, common sense and balls to speak out about what should be happening, to take the whole of the industry by the horns and sort itself out.
Mind you maybe 10 years in the TA Royal Engineers has shown me the benifits of a regimented training method set at the lowest standard required (what do you mean you didn't tether the pig stick you arse). And I still turn the viewfoil off while swapping slides
MJ