Hi BEagle,
We sent him off because: the aircraft was approved to BCAR Section S, it had a current permit to fly, we could find nothing wrong with it on a pre-flight inspection, the weather was within the POH limits, the student had his 3rd party insurance and medical and shown himself to be a competant student and he felt comfortable with doing it. (oops, that sounds like a pre-solo checklist that some queried the need for!)
We didn't like doing it because the Mainair Flash 2 - which was designed and used as a microlight school trainer when new - turned out to be a heap of cr** and was fairly soon replaced by the Flash 2 Alpha. It may still be approved by the CAA, but I ain't going to fly in one. I believe there are some light aircraft that people feel like that about too.
Now the conundrum. If a student is going to fly this aircraft after he gets his licence, perhaps his later solo hours under the ground supervision of an instructor are more beneficial to him if on that type. It means the debriefs are going to be more relevant to his future flying than they might be if he was in a more modern machine.
Our thought was to change one thing at a time. So learn dual on a modern machine, then solo on a modern machine, then when competant at solo (ie the stage one would consider an xc) have a go solo on his own machine.
Fortunately, since he had an engine failure (due to a nipple breaking off a cable) and had to do his first landing in a new type dead stick, we must have given him the right training (and the lucky rabbit's foot) since he put it in a field next to the airfield virtually undamaged.
Very best