"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
As I've said, the pilots I've checked coming out of these "crash courses
for the Private" were safe enough, but lacked the overall abilities of
pilots who had gone through a normal process

I'm more with you than again' you on this one, Dudley. However, I had the
same thought about accelerated courses for the IFR that I was once
considering until I researched the subject and was convinced otherwise.

I wonder if I would again be swayed if I were to look into the accelerated
Private programs? I doubt it. I don't see how anyone could gain the
experience they need within 40 to 50 hours and a few weeks. Some do, of
course, but speaking as one who got their wings at about 70 hours, it still
wasn't really enough. Had I known what I know now, I would have stayed
under the tutelage of my CFI for a dozen or two more hours . . . Okay,
that's a damn lie. I wanted my wings just as bad as anyone else and wanted
the NOW, by golly. I still coulda' used a few more hours, though.

I, Jim Fisher, Internationally Famous Former Airplane Owner, probably would
have been one of those that "cracked" under your probing questions and you
would have equated my knowledge with the Accelerated dudes. We will never
know, I guess.

What I do know is that you are welcome to your opinion (an most here in the
group want to hear it - it's what we are here for) but it really doesn't
mean squat. Just because you've had a few students from Accelerated Courses
("AC") who didn't quite meet your standards doesn't mean most, some, all or
none of them will not. Your experience is not anywhere close to a
scientific sampling.

All that said, perhaps you've illuminated a problem that does not rest with
the AC courses but with the Private Pilot written and checkride.

Many CFIs here in the group have stated over and over again "Don't worry
about the checkride or your written grade. What matters is that you
passed." But wait, that doesn't count if your an AC student according to
you, Dudley.

So, either the written test & checkride is a joke and jillions of "pilots"
unworthy of the privilege are swarming over our heads or the test and Ride
are effective enough to weed out the worst of us and send them back to the
drawing board.

It can't be either, can it?

--
Jim Fisher