Revalidation
Quote: 'Your job is just to sit next to them for an hour to comply with the regulations not to test them on thier flying skills'.
The above is confused;
The 1 hour flight is a 'training ' flight. Sitting there and doing nothing is not an option.
The Flight Instructor signing the log book is the means to ensure that in the future the revalidating examiner can know that the flight was valid and met the requirement. i.e. should the PPL refuse to cooperate with the training then the instructor may decline to sign the logbook and should not in my view.
A lot of the problems that pilots such as the originator of this thread complains is caused by the CAA themselves. It is a ridiculus rule that a pilot who has met all the requirements cannot revalidate 1 second after the stroke of midnight without now having to be flight tested.
The revalidation process - paperwork scribbles- should be able to be undertaken anytime after the expiry date should the pilot have met all the revalidation requirements before expiry. They would not of course be able to fly until the signature is acquired.
The current system cannot make any claim to have a safety benefit!