Hmm, very interesting discussion.
I think this thread has veered away from what Sans Anoraque was asking initially? If I understood him correctly, he was asking about students who thought they were far better than they actually were?
(And presumably, your opinion of their abilities is not necessarily accepted by them)
However, since we're now on the subject of people who are just slow learners, how about my ex-student? I would describe him as an older gentleman, but certainly not elderly, and very capable of going solo. His problem was that he would come along for a lesson every week or two. Often he would make progress, but he would also often go backwards. He used to get frustrated with himself because he could not see the progress when he did make progress, and was not sure what he needed to do to go solo.
I suggested that he was quite capable of aquiring the necessary skills, but he lacked continuity in his training, and that's why he hit a brick wall. I recommended that he take a couple of months off, and put aside all the money he would have spent on flying in that time. Then, he should come back to me and book two flights a day, for a full week, with the money he saved. I pretty much promised him that he would be solo by the end of the week.
Unfortunately, he decided not to take me up on my advice, and I haven't seen him for quite some time - all because he didn't have the self-belief that he was capable of soloing.
FFF
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