I honestly believe the system works if the people being taught are able to fully appreciate the gravity of what they are actually doing. I know we could all suggest ways to improve it but at the end of the day it has been proven to work. Maybe more emphasis should be put on the human factors and limitations exam and some sort of case studies of common accidents caused by poor judgement etc.
Yes, each pilot is totally different and that is why some guys take longer than others to pass their test, I know of a woman who took 114 hours to get there and she could not care less as she was then much more confident in her abilities. (Her instructor told me she could have gone for her test after about 60 hours but she was much happier to continue training. Good for her!) Drilling into new pilots just how serious it could be, without scaring them sh*tless, would make for better pilots. This is how I was taught and at Scotia they will very happily take you down a peg or two if your attitude starts to outweigh your ability. The limitations of the aircraft should not really come into it. It's the limitations of us that are the problem.
Attitude and aptitude before altitude. (I just came up with that. Rubbish, isn't it?
