Don't get me wrong - nothing wrong in assessing those older skills - but for goodness sake get with the times and make use of what is available.
I have to admit the only reason and I mean THE ONLY reason I still do a PLOG is because I dispensed with the damn whizz wheel at the beginning. I can just barely use the thing to pass exams and have an electronic flight calculator and software solutions. For me the PLOG and traditional Nav becomes a pleasure, simply because I have automated the calculations. It's then very nicely backed up by radio Nav aids and GPS.
So yes I totally agree, allow electronic flight calculators for those who prefer them and let traditional nav be simple. More people would use it I'm sure. People lose faith **in my experience** because of errors in the initial calculations using the whizz wheel. That thing really does belong in WWII. Basic vector sums based on forecast winds however remain totally relevant, particularly if they are easily and accurately calculated.
(and before someone says NASA used sliderules to get to the moon, they also had 6 people checking the results against each other because the things are so easily misread
)