TG I have been pondering your post - I can understand your anguish - two guys I trained
initially subsequently were killed but a year + after I last flew with them - I was able to rationalize it and it has never really bothered me - it was sad but so were the other 35 guys I knew that died.
I honestly feel your experience falls into the 'you can't put an old head on young shoulders' category - There is just no way you can sit in the RHS long enough to guarantee anything. I am certain that your criteria for setting someone loose was the same as mine which was the same as ALL my peers who trained in PNG - would I be happy with my family sat behind him?
Yes? Then off you go. No? Then you're on a plane south - I only made that recommendation twice in all my time training in PNG GA - on both occasions I was ignored and by some minor miracle neither died - one was subsequently sacked ( cause he was a hamfisted moron) and went south, the other got what he wanted from PNG and ended up in
VB.
Its like when I taught my daughter to drive - I started when she was 15 (we were living in an Asian country where you could do that) and gave her
18 months worth of ICUS - day/night/rain/shine/peak hour or no - and then I set her loose. She's a good driver and has never had a bingle - she's now 20 and living in Oz - but it was still a deep breath and 'ok, your on your own' moment. To her credit she tolerated the experience and never once questioned me about my training regime.
But you can't spend 18 months doing ICUS in a Twotter.
I don't think you should torture yourself another minute over it - but I know that nothing I say will stop you wondering - the mere fact that it has played on your mind for 40 years suggests to me you were a good and decent trainer
