I think you're being hard on yourself india mike, I was doing my CPL at tayside when you started your IR, from what I heard, you were far from a "crap" student, quite the opposite!
I think though, it emphasizes the point that an experienced pilot and aeronautical expert like yourself added hours and money by having a disjointed learning process.
like you say, every time you have a break you lose some recently gained skills that have to be refreshed when you return, as opposed to having everything fresh from day to day.
When I did my IR I sometimes felt rusty after a weekend never mind a couple of weeks away.
It can, of course, be done, but I would definitely budget for a 15-25% increase in cost, the question is, which is cheaper, a months unpaid leave combined with holidays to study full-time or going part time and paying the extra costs involved?
Last edited by Dane-Ger; 5th November 2010 at 18:46.