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a person who has a differing opinion due to a much different experience. I know the success stories, and I applaud them. But I have also seen those who have had problems and I know that it wasn't all their fault. You need to do more talking to those who haven't done well before you speak poorly of them.
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I have talked to people who have had issues with flying while at Riddle... I even went out and flew with 2 different people my Senior year after I had my CFI/CFI-I/CFI-ME to see if I could give them a fresh perspective. Both had a huge desire to fly, but neither did well, they were both far behind the airplane. Was it their "fault"... depends on how you assign "fault"... They both studied hard, they both loved to fly, they both dedicated many hours to trying to learn the procedures and flows. But when the movie started to roll, they couldn't keep up... They would become tunnel-visioned on the task at hand... Anything that grabbed their attention would cause them to loose sight of the other tasks that were required. The best analogy I have for this (not sure if you are working on your instrument yet) is when an Instrument student has "fixation" instead of continuing his/her instrument scan. These two individuals became "overwhelmed" when they had more than one or two tasks to deal with and would quickly fall behind in all tasks, this can lead to a highly dangerous situation, which should be very obvious.
So back to the "fault" issue... Was it their "fault"? Was it Riddles "fault"? Probably neither... These people can not help how they "operate", just having a burning desire is sometimes not enough if a person doesn't have the skill set/mental capacity for that particular task (i.e. flying a plane). A person could be a genius, but when put into a complex, multi-tasked situation of flying a plane, may not be able to do it. Just because a person can not fly, doesn't say anything about that persons knowledge, intelligence or ability. What it does say is in that particular required skill set, that person does not excel to the level required for safe operation.
As far as "Riddle" having fault... Forget it, it isn't their fault... They have a program set up that has been and is very successful (I am speaking from past AND present knowledge of the situtation)... They set the bar at a certain level and you can either get over it or not... They should NOT lower the bar just because someone is struggling, if someone is struggling then maybe they have chosen a program that isn't suitable for their ability.
I have known of several pilots (beyond Riddle) who have "fallen through the cracks"... They were very marginal pilots, but because they were "a nice guy" or "tried really hard" sometimes the instructor looked the other way when things were weak... no one likes to be the bearer of bad news, so they pass the buck and the problem is no longer theirs... Yeah they got the pat on the back and told "they'd be fine" and all that crap because no one had the cahones to tell them that maybe this wasn't for them... Instead they just all looked the other way figuring they'd be fine, not wanting to break these peoples hearts... Well these instructors can rest assured they didn't break these peoples hearts... They stopped them cold... 3 of theses "through the cracks" pilots are dead...
If a professional program like Riddle tells me I have no business being a pilot, I would take a long, hard look at myself as a whole before venturing further. Remember it is in Riddles best interest to keep you as a student (they ARE a business), they don't make money by turning away students. Better to be disappointed and alive than to follow the footsteps of some other unfortunate souls.
Aviation is a place where ambiguity does not belong. Straight, clear and concise facts are what is required in this type of industry. Consider it a "School of hard Knocks"... It will only get MUCH more difficult when you are no longer the "Customer"... So all the "coddling" a person might be enjoying during their training will quickly come to an end as soon as they stop writing the checks to fly... One of the biggest questions during an interview is to ask about a failure you have had... If you sit there and blame everything else except yourself you won't be getting the job... Then the fun begins...
Disclaimer: I don't know this Marilyn person, I am making generalized comments based upon what I have read on this board