Your assessment is about spot on imho. No one is allowed to exercise common sense these days, it seems.
ER, I agree. Sadly we now live in the age of "blame culture" and everyone is covering their a***s in case anything should ever go wrong and they can cry "nothing to do with me mate!".
The one hour with an instructor should be conducted as a mini test and not just a ride along.
strollerwebb, am sure your didn't mean it that way but the one hour with an instructor is an "instructional" flight (legally) and is
not pass/fail. This issue has been discussed many times before. The instructor signs the logbook signifying the one hour had taken place, that is all.