Let's get this in perspective folks. The PPL is a LICENCE TO LEARN. It gives you the BASICS of flying, the BASIC knowledge needed in order to fly safely and legally, and hopefully the basics of airmanship, decision-making and so on. You then have a lifetime in which to learn the rest. And if it were to be otherwise, it would take even longer than it does now.
Instead of having harder exams - and they're tough on people who never got beyond "O" levels, haven't studied for years, and are not technically minded, believe me - we need to impress on new PPLs how little they know. Some are dangerously over-confident...I know I was, for a short while, until I scared myself. We also need to make it easier for them to learn more...by flying with more experienced pilots, or going on courses, perhaps.
Our society is exam obsessed. It's only one way of learning, and IMHO not a very good one. We need to make sure people realise the need to learn in ALL ways - by studying, and reading AAIB reports, and flying, and learning from other people, and asking questions, and practising; and above all, knowing themselves and their limitations. That last one is tough.
