Keith,
Oh dear ... have I been careless again with my words ? .... the debilitating effects of the recent OzBash obviously haven't worn off yet ..
May I hasten to clarify the situation .. as a longtime classroom teacher, I find your posts both interesting and illuminating .. in fact, if my recollection is sound, I made the statement some time ago that I would love to sit in on a class or two sometime .. and I stand by that assessment.
If I may try again ..
(a) the reference to "long and boring" was in no way directed at your post .. but related only to the situation where one attempts to give an answer to a generalist question and tries to cover all the angles. For each apparently simple component statement in that answer, one must include a list of exceptions, boundary conditions, etc., etc., .. by the end of the paper, the qualifications end up being the substantive part of the answer. As you observe in that case, the cure may be ineffective in fixing the problem.
(b) in regard to abort considerations, the normal sorts of presentations which we might give in the classroom are, to a large extent, idealised and need to be tempered in real world operations by somewhat greyer decision making.
Peace, colleague, there was neither real nor intended slight directed at you or your post and, should anyone think otherwise, then I apologise without reservation.
On the question of whether the ATPL student ought to trawl here for answers, I have to disagree with you. I think that it is entirely appropriate. Furthermore, I would be horrified if any of us with dirty hands experience did not seek to help the new guys and gals coming up through the ranks. This industry is, as much as any and more than most, an apprenticeship system. And, for anyone who has trouble with an answer, the matter ought to be probed a little more ... rephrase the question or whatever ... it is just as important to keep in mind that the reader has to interpret the question without benefit of body language, gesture, discussion, and so on.
At the end of the day, if the person with the question ends up no better informed, then the exercise has been a little pointless.