Later on I looked up the airport we had landed at in the AF/D and found
out it
was closed to transients in winter.

So, whose bad? Pilot in command (me) or instructor in command syndrome?
What
would you have done? Why?

Jose

My undestanding is that whether the insturctor is there or not YOU are PIC.
You are responsible.

It might be ok for insurance purposes to land on a grass strip with the
instructor on board but that doesn't absolve the PIC from making sure that
what you are doing is safe.

That being said, in your place I would have trusted the instructor, I would
have done EXACTLY as you did.

Why? Cause I am a sucker for instructors. In the cockpit I am a BIG sucker
for the "instructor in command" syndrome. I rarely question what the
instructor says cause he's a figure of authority, has more experience and I
always automatically assume he/she knows what they are doing/asking.

Is it bad? Absolutely. I know I am PIC. I know what that means. Something
else I need to fix in my "aviation mental patterns". Then again, I just got
out of primary flight school and back then I was NOT PIC. I was just a
student.

More than in the "killing" zone I am starting to think that I am in the "I
can't believe I am PIC" zone.

I need to get used to the fact that I am PIC.

Just my thoughts ...

--
Marco Rispoli - NJ, USA / PP-ASEL
My on-line aviation community - http://www.thepilotlounge.com