Tony, you say:-
"I also know a young pilot who got got a flat wheel on a Scotish island....called a maintenance outfit and the bill was £1,545 inc VAT."
hmmm, sounds familiar. What colour was this person's headset?
On the more serious side, I do wish that I had a more practical knowledge of the machinery, but I am very unhandy with spanners and such, as my vain attempts to tinker with old cars have convinced me. I found the technical exam for the PPL moderately interesting.