I cannot profess to know Bob on a personal level, but I have had some professional dealings with his flying school in recent times in a capacity other than my primary flying employment.
I will also state that I have recommended Bob's training to others based on his reputation and the feedback that I have received from valued colleagues about their experiences with him. It is all too rare to find a flying instructor who is a true professional and will give a trainee the proper foundation in the industry based on a sense of altruism and a desire to make a difference, rather than simply grab some money or fill a logbook. That is worth taking a punt on, in my book.
Whatever may have been true in the past, unfortunately, I could see little evidence of it recently. The school appears tired and the environment feels like it is stuck in a 20 year old rut. The aircraft were very shabby and without going into it too far, had some issues.
Bob himself was very brusque and not portraying the example of what one might expect of a man of high regard in the industry, in my opinion. I appreciate his lack of tolerance for "incompetence", I am a bit the same way, and I agree with doing things the traditional way in the industry - flying is a hard world and requires discipline and resilience - but one must be careful not to appear as a cynical / arrogant negative personality...
A crying shame, but I was very disappointed in what I saw.