I have been as a PPL, a CPL and an FI on flights in and around Farnborough, Blackbushe, High Wycombe and Biggin Hill and surrounding London I have also flown 737s into LHR when incursions occur from all of these directions. I understand both sides and their needs but when I have an A346 in front of me and a B773 90 secs behind me I really do need to know that the solo student on his 1st X-Ctry nav has the perspective and training in his head of the consequences of me going around with limited fuel at the end of a 7hr sector, causing someone else to go around or worse having to follow a TCAS RA in this sort of airspace.
I cannot see what CAS busts have to do with the pilot's instructor having sat the 11 or so (14 in most cases; CPL/IR) CPL exams.
One look at the pilot age demographics (look in the back of FTN) and putting this together with the fact that the vast majority of new PPLs chuck in flying within a year or two, makes it obvious that the vast majority of PPLs have not been near an instructor for years if not decades - except for the 2-yearly flight on which you
will get a signoff so long as the instructor did not perish on the flight.
CAS busts are the result of antiquated PPL training and equipment, a presumption that the pilot will never fly anywhere for real (so keeping "south of the M25" will keep you out of CAS) and a long term denial and slagging off of everything modern; internet and GPS, throughout both PPL training and CAA "safety" presentations.
Now we have a situation where most instructors have never been past the crease on their chart. The only reason the system hangs together is because nearly all new PPLs drop flying more or less right away so thankfully never push the limits. When I did my PPL, there were about 30 of us and within 1-2 months only about 3 were still flying. By a year or two later, all instructors (except one) I flew with had left to airlines. That odd one vanished following a massive fraud and allegations concerning one female student of 16 and one of well below 16. Of the others, two managed to get female students pregnant. Of course none of this is relevant, but then neither are CPL exam passes
