Twistedenginestarter:
When I learned to fly we were taught several very important things, first and foremost was good airmanship, which simply put is common sense.
(By the way before I was allowed to fly for my first employer I was required to spend several years working as a mechanic in the hangar.)
Common sense dictates that "all" pilots conform to a safe and workable pattern of flying.
Overhead departures and arrivals are not the norm for aviation if they were everyone would be required to use that method. Just imagine the chaos that would entail.
To suggest that a student pilot cannot start a x/country from any portion of an aerodrome traffic circuit is just plain stupid. I defy anyone to convince me that you cannot see the airport from any portion of the circuit pattern unless you are in cloud.
Now to examine this mindless notion that a student must start from overhead so as to be able to get an accurate fix for time and course corrections that is just not intelligent thinking. Because once on route there is no guarantee you will have check points that are as positive as the airport you just left. So common sense dictates the student should start the x/country navigation from any point and fly to any other point by "map reading" and accurate heading and time management.
Remember the bureaucrats who dream up all these exotic requirements for flight training and written exams are not necessarily the brightest and most gifted among us.
Flight instructors are victims of the system.
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The hardest thing about flying is knowing when to say no.