When I started out training before I unfortunately had to stop I went up a couple times and observed from the back seat a fellow student. It does add something. Don't knock it until you actually do it./QUOTE]
I have done it before and that is why I was sharing my opinion. It might be beneficial for some people, but I do not believe that it should be mandatory for every student.
If you do not believe it should be mandatory, I would recommend that you consider saving your time and money now and change career fields.
Observation is and always has been a major part of the program going back over 30 years. It is a serious benefit to the student that shows up, listens and watches. You
will learn a lot from it...if you want to.
It's also a mandatory part of the industry. You don't have individual lessons in the airline business. You have a sim partner that you pair up with from the time ground school ends until you both finish. Same with LOFT training. In groundschool, you have groups that work together as well.
At this stage of your learning, you need to get the fundamentals. That's what FIT has taught so well for so many years and turned out superior pilots.
This industry is about teamwork...it begins by observing.