Moggiee wrote:
Without wishing to be rude to the Spanish, a Spanish IR is quite simply not worth the paper upon which it is written. We see quite a few people who've gained a Spanish IR and, without exception, they are a long way short of the sort of standard that is required.
When it comes to renewing an IR in the UK they ALL need a serious amount of remedial training, very few have been taught the correct techniques in the first place. Of course, the IR holder thinks that he got a good deal in Spain because he got a first time pass - usually being blissfully aware that he would not be able to pass a UK IMC rating test.
Ouch! You certainly didn't mention my IR skills when I did my MCC at your "establishment". I've just checked my logbook and when I renewed the Spanish IR for the first time (at a certain well known UK FTO at LBA), the "serious amount of remedial training" came out as 1.1hrs pre-test training and then a successful renewal test.
My personal opinion is that the flying school matters a lot less than the student's attitude to flight training.