we had to be satisfied that, if the engine failed during the circuit, the student should be able to perform an engine off landing without harming others on the ground (or in the air!!) and be able to walk away from the machine
That's pretty good in 8 hours! That was my instructor's philosophy before I went solo (which was a full circuit; no hovering solo beforehand) and I had gone through all the syllabus beforehand. My remaining 20-odd hours was for the navigation part.
Cheers
Whirls