Originally Posted by
ShyTorque
HC, did you not read my post in full?
I was merely making the point that the main problem is that pilots fresh out of a civilian flying school aren't very closely mentored once they gain their PPL. I've been there myself - my initial flying training was done at a civilian flying school (prior to my military training) and in total I've flown as a civilian pilot for longer than I flew in the military.
All inexperienced pilots can benefit from a mentor, regardless of ability and training.
Of course they can. But leisure aviation is a compromise even more so than commercial aviation. You could of course invent some mandatory mentoring system e.g. requiring PPLs to be part of some organisation or club such that old farts can put their awe in regularly (and probably disagreeing with every other old fart). But in doing so you are removing the freedoms of a licenced pilot - they effectively become pilots under supervision. I'm sure you wouldn't mind that too much but I'm sure anyone contemplating getting a licence now, would see it as the excessive nannying that it is. A PPL is an international qualification and if you make it too difficult to get in the UK, people will go elsewhere and anyway EASA wouldn't be too impressed.
But no matter, as a reaction to an R44 flopping in and not seriously injuring anyone, it is clearly a megalomaniacal over-reaction and it ain't going to happen, so why witter on about it?