Partially it was a joke (hence the
) Partially it's because even though it might be nice to look around, as a PPL student you may be more concerned with keeping the plane straight and level (and on heading), so it can't hurt to have someone with a radar watching you. I appreciate it's limits (esp. with regard to SSR, or the lack of), but it can't hurt.
Also, it'll stop my appauling singing if I get interrupted by someone on the ground, even if it is just to say that that little black dot I've been watching for the past five minutes is in fact another a/c nowhere near me.
-tacc