Learning to fly is a completely new skill, and it’s easy for students to become fixated in copying their instructor’s techniques exactly. Whirlybirds comments remind me of the PPL holders I meet who tended to have been instructed predominantly by one instructor. They tend to be less open to variations of operation. More blinkered maybe. This I feel is a negative.
I am all for standardisation but am divided as to where the standardisation line should be drawn. If we take it that the basics of flying the aircraft should be as standard as possible, we are really only discussing whether non-essentially standard procedures should be so standardised. I actively make a point to all my students that they will hear different advise from different instructors. I offer my opinions and qualify them with reasoning, but stress that not everyone will teach, practice or even agree with them. I hope this results in the student realising that flying is like most other activities, i.e. there’s more than one way to skin a cat, (Non-standard cat skinning?? – scandalous) and end up like the PPL Whirly was talking about.
I also actively suggest that a student has some lessons with another instructor(s). I feel a possessive attitude over a student can reduce their ability to take advise on board from others later.
We must also remember that students can use our non-standardisation against us!! How many times have you hear ‘Fred didn’t show me to do it that way’ or ‘I have never been shown that’ – while any of the course is non-standard that will always be the case.
So, as for total standardisation, I guess I’m not for it. As for students making notes about instructors differences? Perhaps that would be no bad thing as it could highlight issues that do need correcting.