Originally Posted by P.Pilcher
From the examples quoted above, IMHO (and only IMHO) the slightly imperfect standard of knowledge required by the FAA is totally adequate for a commercial pilot. Why encourage them to make life more difficult that it already is?
Well... from the point of view that any difference between MY understanding of what generates lift and YOUR understanding of what generates lift, is going to make no difference to how we fly aeroplanes, it makes no difference at all! You're quite right.
BUT, from the point of view of the student who has to learn all this stuff in order to get his/her licence in the first place, I think it does make a difference. I harp back to one of my earlier replies:
It is no harder for instructors to teach (and for student pilots to retain) the correct model. In fact I would say it is somewhat easier for students to retain the correct model, because they will find less contradictions arising in subsequent theory.