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Does it really say this in your TCO?
The possible issue with XCs is that this very easily gets out of control with instructors that are in it for themselves and not really giving value to the student. Combining stuff and making it an XC is fine, but as an example, if you really stink at a maneuver and have to learn it, it's better to talk about it on the ground and then try another day, rather than think that later on it might be better. On the other hand, with two students, it might be a great way to get some XC time and be just as efficient in terms of maneuvers and such. With some instructors, this is not the case and I've seen students getting the short end of the stick. They didn't know any better at the time unfortunately. Maybe this is another reason why they "don't want to go there", but again, it just seems very odd.
There wasn't a CFI recently "racking up XC" time on every flight was there?
If this is truly from the FAA, why not call up the POI and ask for some clarification?
Going to different airports semi-frequently is one of the best things you can do for experience (of a student).
Yep. All of the lessons in the TCO are labeled as 'local' or 'cross country'. The POI said anything that is 50nm or more and logged in the XC column of the logbook cannot be a 'local' flight at the same time. Don't get me started on how the regs say point to point is cross country, and somehow it is ok to go to an airport 49nm away, but if it is 50nm then suddenly it is a different category of flight and cannot count towards a 'local' lesson. Originally Posted by JamesNoBrakes
That seems very odd. Does the school that wants to be able to fly without the ELT operational (see 91.207)? Does it really say this in your TCO?
The possible issue with XCs is that this very easily gets out of control with instructors that are in it for themselves and not really giving value to the student. Combining stuff and making it an XC is fine, but as an example, if you really stink at a maneuver and have to learn it, it's better to talk about it on the ground and then try another day, rather than think that later on it might be better. On the other hand, with two students, it might be a great way to get some XC time and be just as efficient in terms of maneuvers and such. With some instructors, this is not the case and I've seen students getting the short end of the stick. They didn't know any better at the time unfortunately. Maybe this is another reason why they "don't want to go there", but again, it just seems very odd.
There wasn't a CFI recently "racking up XC" time on every flight was there?
If this is truly from the FAA, why not call up the POI and ask for some clarification?
Going to different airports semi-frequently is one of the best things you can do for experience (of a student).
And, the problem may have stemmed from a couple instructors who were managing to log quite a few flights as XC. I can only imagine the POI pulled up the record of what of these students and was trying to figure out what was going on, and then made his ridiculous assessment. The chief pilot already had a meeting with us about the fact that he was seeing a number of students (who all belonged to the same few instructors) going way over on time and that had unusual percentages of XC flights, and basically told us we were only allowed to extend local flights into XCs if it was reasonable. But since a majority of what we fly are slow 2-seat aircraft, it is difficult to find an argument for dragging a student out from the airport on a flight where they are supposed to accomplish a bunch of maneuvers and some pattern work in 1-1.5 hours.