Continuing the thread drift, when I learned in gliders, a circuit without instruments was mandatory before solo. Everyone, bar none, performed better.
Yes, I have taken off in an aeroplane with the pitot cover on and it's no big deal. Circuit, land, remove cover, hope no one noticed that one inevitable result of an interrupted pre-flight...
Similarly, once when the little flappy pitot cover on the Champ didn't flap enough when airborne, it didn't really occur to me that I shouldn't carry on to France as planned. We found another cause to land en route, though, so I did sort it out before carry on.
I might have thought differently without
any of my very basic instruments, but the fact is the aeroplane doesn't know what it has inside and will fly nicely if allowed to do so by the klutz inside.
I'm surprised if students aren't given that training anymore.