Made me laugh out loud. Wasn't a parable was it?
Do we take it, Homeguard, that you charge your students for flying instruction when you are paying nothing to the instructor involved. Sound business decision, I suppose, though hardly philanthropic.
Do your instructors and students know about this? What do your paid instructors think about the dilution of the available work by the unpaid instructors? I'm guessing that they hate it. I'm also guessing that they are "self-employed" flying instructors and don't dare raise an eyebrow for fear of being no longer required. I say this because I'm quite sure that a similar situation at my place would lead to serious unrest amongst the instructional staff.
Of course, you're right to say that you don't have to justify your business practises to us, but I'm intrigued nonetheless.
We had a guy at our place who had no CPL, but did a bit of instruction on Saturdays. Gave his "earnings" to the RAF Benevolent fund...very decent.
SAS has it right, I think. In my opinion, there are too many schools out there who are only trading by virtue of the fact that they are able to take advantage of their flying instructors....SAS says it all so much more eloquently than I can.
bogbeagle