I'm afraid Vince rather reminds me of the most dangerous pilot I ever had the misfortune to fly with. The similarities are striking. The chap that scared me rigid was unable to see that he'd done anything wrong, was an extremely intelligent and well-qualified individual and never missed an opportunity for a bit of self-promotion. What he lacked was any sort of intuitive feel for flying safely, hence my unease.
In the case of the chap that scared me rigid, I took the unusual step of going to see the examiner who'd taken his GFT to express my concerns. The examiner felt a similar unease as to the chap's lack of natural ability, but told me that, on the day, he'd flown well enough to pass, so there was nothing that could be done.
For some reason, I've found myself getting asked to assist with the aftermath of a couple of aircraft accident cases in the last year or two. One common factor seems to be an element of arrogance by the pilot. Another common factor is that those that knew of the pilot's failings only spoke out after the event. Perhaps we should be more open about expressing our concerns when we sense failings in those around us. I've no doubt that some lives would be saved if we did. I'm still haunted by the words of one instructor after a fatal accident I was involved with; they were "I'd been meaning to have a word with him about his flying".................
VP