Thanks, I always maintained you couldn't make a sound judgement on a job or estimate a time-scale without getting out there and seeing the problems the guys faced and the difficulties that could / can pop up.
Theory is great, but practical skills and visual evidence to the time a task can take are worth their weight in gold, and you do not build that skill set sitting at a desk.
It also allows you to know what you are actually talking about, and not relying on someone else who could be feeding you a load of crock.