Right Attitude For Pilot ?
Yesterday I did a favour, I took a R44 to pick up a FI and Student who had carried out a nav/ex and left their Heli to be serviced. Flying back to their base the student remarked that we were flying over hostile terrain, he was right, if things went pear shaped it would have been very hard to land and remain looking Pristine, top marks for the Student(who happened to be from Downunder ) however his next statement took me a little by supprise, he remarked that he had flown this way once before but because of low cloud he had never seen the tops of the Moors, he flew along the Valleys, and found it very dificult( width of valleys appox 3/500 yds depth appox 500/1500ft) to pick his way through, he said they had to turn around and go back, as he was a student he had with him a newish FI, I remarked to him that he should have had a little more oil in his lamp and the flight should not have continued anywhere near the Moorland area, his answer, " What the Hell it was exciting"
Am I wrong, or oldfashioned , or is this the attitude that is being allowed to exist in the minds of new young pilots when accompanied by a young instructor. With Moors at 1850ft AMSL and the cloud base covering the tops of this ground I say that is a no go area for any pilot unless he is fully trained in IMC conditions. Flying a Heli is exciting enough without putting your self and A/c into harms way, when and if this guy gets his ticket what could he then be capable of doing, what do you Ppruners out there think, could this be an isolated type of guy or are there more out there?