PPL failures nearly 50%

I mean I know its fun to blame Asians and immigrants and all that….but is there any empirical evidence to support that statement?

I don’t have any empirical evidence either but anecdotally, when i was instructing in AZ, so long as the English barrier wasn’t an issue

Can't talk about language barrier while instructing without this video:

 
Can't talk about language barrier while instructing without this video:


That's exactly how my first CFI during PPL training talked to me. Expletives and all. Not about the heat though. He was former mil F4 Vietnam pilot. Flew F-15's before he retired. I had to fire him. I wasn't advancing at all, and I just typically shut down during all our flights.
 
I think people might have a field day with the CFI for putting him up solo

Especially the Feds. Because if the student pilot under your purview screws up, you’ve de facto screwed up and here come the feds!

I actually had a copilot, years ago, that tried to set up a GoPro… That was special.
 
I actually had a copilot, years ago, that tried to set up a GoPro… That was special.

That’s some kind of thing these days. What is so special about some boring ass airline flight that someone would want to take the time and effort to film it? Yeah, I can see if you’re bombing a bridge or strafing an AAA position, wanting to film those, but some boring ass routine flight?
 
That’s some kind of thing these days. What is so special about some boring ass airline flight that someone would want to take the time and effort to film it? Yeah, I can see if you’re bombing a bridge or strafing an AAA position, wanting to film those, but some boring ass routine flight?

People spend tens of thousands of dollars to "authentically replicate" (in their basements) doing stuff I try as hard as I possibly can to avoid doing. It's strange, strange world. I was thinking about this coasting in over Cannuckistan this morning. Like seven dudes who totally do not want to be there just watching the clock tick down excruciatingly slowly. Fidgeting. Packing their stuff up way earlier than is really necessary. Changing out of their PJs. Staring at the FMS Progress screen like maybe it'll give me back a minute or two of my life when the shortcut comes. But with all of the mental gymnastics, you always land within ~10 minutes of what it says on the flightplan, usually more like 2.

Out there, somewhere, though, there's some dude who would saw off his left nut to be there, you know "in the action". We are odd creatures.

I'm no exception, mind you. There's probably some factory driver who is just sick to death of flogging a GT4RS around the Nurburgring. Grass is always greener, or something, I suppose.
 
I mean I know its fun to blame Asians and immigrants and all that….but is there any empirical evidence to support that statement?

I don’t have any empirical evidence either but anecdotally, when i was instructing in AZ, so long as the English barrier wasn’t an issue, the Chinese students blew away their American counterparts for the most part. And I’m not sure where the assessment came from that they don’t want to be there either, that was absolutely not the case in my experience. These students have already gone through a ton to get to the point of US flight training, kids get weeded out in China.
My Chinese experience wasn’t horrible and I had some good pilots. But blew away their American counterparts? Yeah that’s a big stretch of a statement. The cultural differences and leadership differences were much more important than the language barrier. Language they can learn. Their entire culture and way they are raised is not something you or I can change. Not saying they are all bad pilots, they’re not. But saying the blew away American counterparts sure is a bold statement. One I disagree with 100%.
 
That’s some kind of thing these days. What is so special about some boring ass airline flight that someone would want to take the time and effort to film it? Yeah, I can see if you’re bombing a bridge or strafing an AAA position, wanting to film those, but some boring ass routine flight?

The short answer is because pilots are weird. As Boris said, people spend tens of thousands of dollars for a home sim to replicate an airliner. Even learning flows and callouts for their dream airline. Some people can’t get into the industry for medical or financial reasons, but it doesn’t deter them from dreaming.

No one simulates being a roofer, but there is no shortage of people involved with a home flight sim.
 
People spend tens of thousands of dollars to "authentically replicate" (in their basements) doing stuff I try as hard as I possibly can to avoid doing. It's strange, strange world. I was thinking about this coasting in over Cannuckistan this morning. Like seven dudes who totally do not want to be there just watching the clock tick down excruciatingly slowly. Fidgeting. Packing their stuff up way earlier than is really necessary. Changing out of their PJs. Staring at the FMS Progress screen like maybe it'll give me back a minute or two of my life when the shortcut comes. But with all of the mental gymnastics, you always land within ~10 minutes of what it says on the flightplan, usually more like 2.

Out there, somewhere, though, there's some dude who would saw off his left nut to be there, you know "in the action". We are odd creatures.

I'm no exception, mind you. There's probably some factory driver who is just sick to death of flogging a GT4RS around the Nurburgring. Grass is always greener, or something, I suppose.


The short answer is because pilots are weird. As Boris said, people spend tens of thousands of dollars for a home sim to replicate an airliner. Even learning flows and callouts for their dream airline. Some people can’t get into the industry for medical or financial reasons, but it doesn’t deter them from dreaming.

No one simulates being a roofer, but there is no shortage of people involved with a home flight sim.

These examples I could see, but we are talking guys who already do the job, wanting to now jump through hoops to film the boring ass job they currently do. And one that they likely complain about anyway. :)
 
These examples I could see, but we are talking guys who already do the job, wanting to now jump through hoops to film the boring ass job they currently do. And one that they likely complain about anyway. :)

Those people are clearly doing it for the ‘gram.
 
A narcissistic pilot? Never happen. Not possible. Nope.

I'll never forget the conversation I had with my flight school owner when I was a student, maybe had my private at the time: "You see, there's normal people like you and me. We can talk about a range of things, then there are other pilots. 'So.... enough about me, let's talk a little more about me." Man, was he dead on accurate about that.
 
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