StepTurn - am I wrong in thinking that it is quite difficult to find somewhere to learn on older types / taildraggers?
Yes, it is more difficult than simply flying the more common tricycle GA aircraft. That's an unfortunate reality, for certified aircraft, simple taildraggers are not in demand. Perhaps our next generation of pilot need to be inspired to demand them! You can learn to fly in a Cub, Chipmunk or Tiger Moth, and still carry those learned skills onward to the commercial industry, they'll actually be a little sharper. While flying a Twin Otter years ago, the check pilot observed that I must fly tailwheel a lot, as I used the pedals! Sadly, many new pilots have to travel farther to find these less common types - it's worth the effort!
Lots of exams and questions: The purpose of the exams is to assure that the information required to be taught was retained by the student. This is partly a test of the student, and also partly a test of the teacher. I dislike exams as much as the next person (and struggle with them), but they are a necessary measure of the overall effectiveness of the teaching environment. No one here is advocating for less qualified pilots.
When a prospective pilot inquires about learning to fly, and hopefully flies a trial lesson, are we the industry "selling" the romance of
flying well enough? Or are we drawing attention to all the fancy avionics in the basic trainers, and how it's pretending to be a mini airliner? Sell the basics with a promise of growth. Students and new pilots, the instruments you must have to fly a GA airplane in day VFR are: Airspeed, altimeter, turn and bank/turn coordinator, compass, tachometer, oil pressure and temperature, and fuel quantity, and maybe an ammeter. If you are flying with an aircraft equipped with more than that, you're paying for more than you need for the first 20 hours of light training, and distracting yourself from the real fun and learning. There will be plenty of time for fancy equipment later. If you are flying in conditions which require more, your instructor got it wrong that flight. Don't let a complex industry tell you that you need more in the early stages.
Hoping that "next generation" pilots to be are reading this, if you want to fly the broad choice of types available now, you're going to have to demonstrate that there is still a viable life for these aircraft in the GA world. There will always be the outliers, who have a passion, and will do anything for their type. The warbird group are a good example. But, as the number of people and aircraft diminish, the cost goes way up. New pilots, go out and find different types to fly, you will enjoy it, be a better pilot for it, and sustain an industry you might want to have retained in the future. Owners of unusual types, take them to the fly ins, and inspire people with them!
Despite the great chat with my fellow PPRuNer, I hang on the hope that "everything old is new again", and out industry will circle back to make simple airplanes mainstream available, without compromising quality and durability.
Coasting on this will see our pastime wain, and mostly be found by new pilots in grainy old youtube videos, and maybe books. We need to re-invigorate ourselves.....