'hook,
I think you may not have the picture of the power recovery I'm talking about. I'm talking about the power coming in after the flare, when the skids are just off of the ground, not a go-around after a simulated engine failure. Autos are about technique and tactics - tactics don't need the touchdown, and the only part of technique that should be different is what happens after the flare - put another way, any good power recovery could become a touchdown simply by not joining the needles as you pull pitch. I'm not debating the fact that practicing touchdowns will make you better at touchdowns. I'm just missing the life-threatning aspect of terminating a maneuver by rolling on throttle at 5' AGL with low or no groundspeed versus not rolling on the throttle at 5' AGL with low or no groundspeed. I guess I don't share your belief that a power recovery to a hover is significantly different than a touchdown, except where possible damage to the aircraft is concerned.