Hi Rob (PPRuNe Towers)
I totally agree with the majority of your post of this subject and your reasons for letting it run.
However, I disagree with this part of your post apart from the “they reap collectively”:
[QUOTE]“They reap what they collectively sold to amateur pilots each of whom returned to Europe and the UK to find how ridiculously and hopelessly limited the SA PPL is outside Africa”
I am a SA Grade II instructor as well as a UK CAA Flight & Class Rating Examiner along with the appropriate UK Licences and I regularly renew/revalidate the licenses and ratings of SA Licence holders.
I find that those who have been trained by the better schools presenting themselves for test are generally of a standard equal to or better than locally trained pilots and also at a far better standard of those who have been trained for JAA PPL’s at the ubiquitous “JAR Approved” schools in Florida. BTW I have all the FAA Licenses and ratings too, and have recently completed the FAA initial flight examiner standardisation course with the FAA in Oklahoma City, and regularly test FAA certified pilots for the biennial Flight Reviews and those who have FAA PPL trained by good FAA schools are as equally competent as their counterparts here in the UK.
In the main the SA trained people are as competent in practice forced landings and all the other manoeuvres required for their renewals (which are identical in content to the UK LPC) as UK trained PPL’s. In addition their RT is vastly better than those who have trained in the US (I am also a UK FRTOL examiner so feel I can comment in this department).
The only problem SA licensees have, initially, in the UK is getting familiarised with navigating in our fairly busy airspace, but at least they have recognised method of navigation compared with the Florida trained contingent who seem to be only able to feature crawl!
Without mentioning names I have recently completed renewals on pilots who have trained at 5 well-known establishments; two of which are at PE, one at Port Alfred, two at Grand Central (not the late unlamented FTC) and one from Rand Airport and all of them were proficient and had been trained to a good standard.
There quite a number of SA license holders flying in the UK, solely on their SA licenses quite safely so the licence cannot be that limited.
You are regretfully correct that the like of CFS only do harm to the majority of SA flight schools who are proud of their standards of training and produce some good pilots.
Regards, Rob