Sorry, folks, most of my previous ramble had somehow got wiped before I hit send, without proof reading first....so a recap.
An aquaintance decided to take up flying...I introduced him to a friend who had abandoned PPL training about 30 hours in (parents dying etc.)
R, gets his PPL, imc, night......a 152....needs to take growing family sometimes so a 172 (both earn their keep by renting to the local training org.)....cpl and instructor follow, along with an Aeronca Chief as a fun toy...by this time P had his PPL as well and i had the privelidge of going on a good few jollies in all 3 aircraft.
having considerable motorbike,car, sailing and aeromodelling experiences,Ifound the Armstrong-starting,limited -panel Aeronca to be far more satisfying than the spamcans.
R suggested I should take official training and stated categorically that he thought the syllabus was a huge con for a lot of studes.
Those with aptitude and background knowledge have a head start...they are capable of combining several "exercises" into one lesson...the next lesson onward, they practise it .
As with motoring, there are those with no ability, knowledge, intuition or empathy for the subject -matter....this is where the training syllabus is aimed....Anyone who gets the idea "I want to do that"..can be "programmed" to jump through the hoops inthe right order and will drive or fly by rote, with little real appreciation for what's going on with his conveyance or it's environment.
A previous partner would blithly keep her foot on the throttle, despite the distant lights turning toamber.....heavy, last minute braking.....the concept of analysing traffic-flow 2 or 3 cars ahead, was an alien concept,
BUT she had the income, passed the test and became another revenue-stream for the gov.t. keeping the motor trade, refineries, ministry test bods and road tax admin all in jobs.
IF the test regime became too onerous, the country would grind to a halt.......GA almost got to this point....ability to pay is far more important than Piloting aptitude......I didn't want to join the military,under any circumstances and life evolved in a way that precluded me from taking upthis expensive hobby.....so, UK GA revolves around selling the dream to those who can afford it....I must have been wellover 40 before i'd even heard of the PFA !...now, of course, with t' internet...
So,in summary...spamcans are the cheapest, easiest, most stable way to get the largest percentage of entrants through the test....those with true enthusiasm will explore the more challenging options.
Very few have the "inside knowledge" to find out it's possible to learn on something other than a Cof A spamcan at a "proper" establishment at a "proper" Airport. IMHO the system is designed to keep the status quo...(although the recent relaxation of licenced airfield requirement is a step forward, it's negated by the new pile of EASA FTO registration requirements.