A few observations:-
(1) I don't agree with pilotwolf's apparent attempt to re-start the frankly tedious debate on whether training in the US is better than training in the UK. As far as I can tell, pilotwolf's position tends to be pro US, but: (a) it looks as though that is where Samir trained, and (b) who cares? the quality of your training depends upon the quality of your training, and where you find the training seems to me to be irrelevant. I am sorry that Whirly found that she couldn't talk much to her instructors. I always thought that drinking coffee, beer, and talking lots and lots and lots about every aspect of flying with your instructor was part of the course [actually, I didn't think this: perhaps I was just lucky in learning with people who were about as uninterested in getting right- hand-seat jobs in 737s as I am].
(2) I nonetheless think that pilotwolf has been somewhat unduly flamed and that people generally have been a bit too modern-touchy-feely-cuddly-luvvy-all-have-done-well-and-all-shall-have-prizes about this whole thing. I am all in favour of encouraging open discussion and the asking of questions, but I would also encourage people to re-read the opening post in this thread and ponder on what it suggests about pilot training. Even the saintly keef had to (gently and kindly) pull Samir up on the FL60 idea.
(3) Pilotwolf raises a legitimate point about the sort of PPL course which turns out a pilot who has the outlook (not merely the knowledge level) displayed by the opening post.
(4) I am much ruder than pilotwolf, and am curious as to what drove someone to acquire a PPL (usually a sign of a slightly extroverted personality) who seems so reliant upon having his hand held. Aerobatic Flyer refers to his experience in learning to fly in mountains (I am very jealous: I want to do this but have not yet found the time to do so), but I am not convinced that the sensible caution in gaining this skill of a pilot who is sufficiently adventurous to acquire the skill in the first place is comparable with the perhaps excessive caution and narrowness of ambition which some types of pilot training seem to inculcate in some new PPLs.
(5) Fire at will.
Last edited by FNG; 24th January 2003 at 06:08.