Instructor standards falling?

[Say again s l o w l y]

Utter rot, Bose.

This is not about "putting something back in". That's just emotive rubbish, but since you bring that argument up.

I've put plenty into the flight training industry over the years. Money, time, effort and a whole host of other intangibles. I've earnt in reality the square root of f'all compared to the effort I've put into GA. 7 days a week, 12-15 hour days and you reckon because you're doing the odd free flight you are "putting something back". Don't make me laugh.

So, is it wrong to expect to get something/anything back?

Is it ****. I'll ask you a question. If you had all your money and your Porsche taken off you tomorrow, would you still teach for nothing?

I doubt it. So don't get sanctimonious, you are lucky, you don't have to get paid. The vast majority of FI's aren't as lucky as you or I and need to earn from their profession.

Without FI's the industry dies, it's already in a parlous state with falling student take ups and an atrocious record of keeping people on board once qualified.

Why make it even more difficult for FI's to stay in the industry. How is flying for free helping anyone apart from the PPL's you fly with who most likely could afford to pay you easily?

Of those thousands of hours and hundreds of types are you telling me that none of these private owners can afford to stump up £30/hr for an FI?

In what way are you "putting something back" by not charging people wealthy enough to own their own a/c?

If you were helping out struggling students who couldn't otherwise finish their training, or doing something like air cadets or young Eagles, then you could use the argument you are "putting something back".

What you are doing is using your own wealth to compete with other FI's in an unfair manner.

What's next, someone offering to split the costs so that they can get another type in the logbook, even though they are performing a job?

Oh hang on, that's already happened in the airline world. Really worked well for everyone didn't it? If your name happens to be O'Leary then yes it did, but for the rest of us? Nope.