Degradation of will to learn how to fly

[Capot]

Chickenhouse, thank you for the full reply to my points. It was certainly worth reading and food for thought.

However; I rather thought you might castigate my remarks as a "military" approach and therefore out of date. But, sooner or later, there comes a time when you have to be blunt and simply not take any more nonsense. This protects you, the school and above all the student from future harm. I am aware of the financial considerations for a school of showing a paying student the door, but there is a moment when the costs of not doing that outweigh the costs of doing it.

You refer to your students in several places as future commercial pilots; I'm wondering about that. I have always believed that in general, ab initio students who intend to become commercial pilots need to learn discipline and conformity at an early stage, while recognising that there must be a pathway for getting a PPL for amateur flying and then going commercial.

Again, with respect to your methods, you, perhaps your school, seem to me to be more pre-occupied with relational abstracts than you need to be or should be; this is illustrated in your use of the phrase "statements prone to the generation of pre-occupational thoughts". There's actually nothing wrong with "pre-occupational thoughts" if they give you a clue about the character and abilities of a student you have been tasked with taking on. After all, you and he wasted a couple of circuits while you found out what the notes would have told you. I simply don't buy the belief that reading them is harmful.

Similarly; "This is what we have to face in modern times." Who is holding the gun to your head? If you, or your school, think it's wrong, don't allow it. It really is as simple as that. Explain the reasons, if necessary.

I recognise that you are obviously sincere and experienced, and take your instructing and student welfare very seriously, and I admire you for that. There is of course no single "right" way to do everything, and perhaps we should move on with that thought.