Mortimer Schnerd, RN wrote:

I could buy 60 hours of straight dual here in the Carolinas for the same
money.

Ah, but can you buy a few days of travel with a CFII?

A friend of mine did one of those accelerated IFR rating courses, which left
me somewhat worried. But he almost immediately followed it with one of
these multiday "IFR XC" trips. From his description, that addressed many
of the deficiencies of the "rush to rating" approach.

[It also sounded like a lot of fun.]

Also, don't knock the educational value of right-seat time. The pressure is
off, leaving one more free to listen, consider, compare...

- Andrew