I am well aware that I am outspoken on occassions
but just for the record the reason I bother at all is because I think it's a shame to see the number of people that blow away £8k or so at their school, only to chuck it in very shortly afterwards.
We could all differ on the reasons why but not having a qualification that's useful (which, never forget, is not a
commercial driver for the school) has got to be a pretty common reason.
The NPPL takeup is a witness to this. According to recent press reports most of the people that do it are previous/existing PPL holders who cannot pass the CAA Class 2. In that respect the NPPL is a very good thing (because IMV the medical requirements are much too onerous; the probability of 3rd party injury/damage is far far less than in a car) but medical issues aside it is very hard to justify it on the reason that was originally used to push it: lower cost.
Very good point made about Permit aircraft offering much cheaper flying than certified aircraft, but you can fly both on a PPL, and get much better privileges.