Just a thought. If you are teaching someone to fly who is perhaps older than you, used to or still does earn more than you, is taller than you etc. etc. then sometimes you can have difficulty maintaining the necessary instructor/pupil authority gradient. I´ve never really found it a problem but then I look more like 30 than 20. However I know that some younger looking instructors, particularly where an airline sponsored hot shot knows he´s going to be flying a Boeing in 6 months feeling on top of the world student is involved, do have problems and take grief off students that they should not really accept. In such circumstances the gold plated shoulders can help at a sociological/psychological level.
Never worn them myself but I can see an arguement for their value.
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