As an instructor and examiner the criteria which I apply to the one hour instructional flight is the same as I have applied for years to club checkouts. If the pilot flies to a standard where, if it were a club checkout, I would be happy to authorise him/her as “OK for solo” in a club aircraft then I will sign for the one hour instructional flight, otherwise I would refuse to sign his/her logbook and provide a clear and comprehensive debrief on the reasons for my refusal.
Since the introduction of the requirement for the one hour instructional flight I have refused to sign a pilot’s logbook only once. Interestingly the pilot owned his own aircraft, had not flown with an instructor for years and had developed a very slapdash style of flying. One of my colleagues had the same experience, again with a private owner.
Is the situation less likely to arise with a PPL who flies within a club environment since there is, at least, an element of oversight of the activities of such PPLs?