"Andrew Sarangan" wrote in message
1...
You are correct. It doesn't make sense. Now you have made me think about
this.

My reasoning was based on my distrust of the written exams.

Well-founded distrust, I completely agree.

Most
questions are not based on reality. Who cares if you can calculate fuel
burn down to the last 1/10th of a gallon?

Well, as impractical as doing so in real life is, being able to do so shows
a certain amount of "headroom" in being able to make the practical sorts of
calculations. I think of it as sort of providing an extra margin of
performance.

Also, while I seriously doubt this was a goal of the FAA, being forced to
plan things to the smallest detail may prompt at least some pilots to
consider what degree of detail is really necessary. I consider it a happy
serendipitous fallout of a somewhat silly FAA requirement.

I tell my students to get the
written test behind them quickly so that they can start to learn the
useful stuff.

But students who are actively training with you, no doubt, and who are
unlikely to miss the 24-month deadline.

Also, the CFI written tests do not require endorsements.
But the CFI test probably carries the most potential damage. An ill-
informed CFI can cause more damage than an ill-informed private pilot.

But with or without an endorsement, the CFI applicant still needs to pass
the test. An endorsement doesn't affect the applicant's performance on the
test at all.

Which is to say that I agree that the requirement for an endorsement seems a
little dumb. As you suggest, the requirement may be a legacy of when
students weren't paying for the test. Today, if a student wants to pay the
exorbitant fee for a test, even when they aren't prepared to pass it, why
not let them? Who would it hurt?

I just think that regardless of how silly one thinks a requirement is, one
ought to still consider their integrity when making endorsements. If one is
willing to make a written statement that a student is prepared for a test,
one ought to actually verify that the statement is true. I'm happy to hear
you agree (or are at least willing to consider agreeing ).

Pete