"Dudley Henriques" wrote in message
nk.net...

Exactly how "safe" and how "educated" an individual pilot is at the
time that pilot took the flight test is a wide open issue subject to
much deeper interpretation than the simple fact that the flight test has
been passed.
The issue of exactly how safe an individual pilot is at the point of
his/her flight test can be considered to be TOTALLY the summation of the
QUALITY of the pilot's flight training coupled with the pilot's
retention of that training and the insertion of that training into
his/her performance with an airplane.

In other words, you can pass the flight test meeting the minimum
standard and be safe, or you can pass it with a standard FAR in excess
of the minimum requirements and be a hell of a lot safer.


After passing my PPL ride, the DE and I had a discussion over lunch about
the checkride in general. I asked him how in that short time he could
determine I was a Pilot. His answer contained much of what Barry and Dudley
say, but he went on to say "How many times have you gotten into a car with
someone, and by the time they had backed out of the driveway, you wished you
were somewhere else?"

A year later I was invited to ride along with a guy on a short flight to get
parts for another plane. By the time we had taxied to the runway I had that
feeling of "let me out". The entire trip there and back I was wanting to
take the controls but resisted the urge figuring it was a sure fire way to
die. This jerk seemed to love taking-off,climbing, and flying the pattern on
the edge of a stall with the horn going off 60% of the time.
He was the new operator of the FBO and as I soon found out, "a 10 day
wonder".
I never went up with him again and couldn't tell you if he is still alive or
not.

Marty