"I don't think any use of the internet is on the PPL syllabus, though clearly it should be given that notams are accessible (practically) only via the internet, and so is weather info. But if the CAA made it thus, they would have to mandate its universal provision on the training scene, which they have no power to do."
......I thought that there was an obligation on all training schools to provide access to NOTAM's ? I can't think of any briefing rooms that I've visited that hasn't had them pinned up on the noticeboard (ok, I haven't visited many flying schools!).
" It's a bit like the idea of mandating GPS for the PPL syllabus - they would then have to mandate its installation in the training fleet".
.......No, the CAA would have to mandate that pilots read NOTAMs before flying. I thought that they had and am quite concerned that some pilots don't check that there aren't any NOTAMs that could affect them.
"My guess is that most schools do have internet access and most of them will allow a curious student to look stuff up, but that applies to people being currently trained. The vast majority of the ~ 20,000 numbered UK pilot population gets nowhere near this.
And it's pretty evident that the 2-yearly check flights do not test this."
........Seems a pretty good reason to me as to why they should be included then.
I overheard a pilot recently who was visiting a club/school to do a check flight and NavEx. He didn't have the appropriate map, hadn't checked the NOTAMs, hadn't checked the Met (obviously unflyable because it was raining and the Met Office had issued a weather advisory for the area). Makes me wonder what's going through their minds!