Originally Posted by
Chupacabras
The difference is that an instructor has a much better understanding of aerodynamics and the "foundation" of flying than a 250 hr. pilot.
Does he? Is 1250 hours instructing in a 172 really 1250 hours? I feel like it's more like 20-30 hours repeated many times over. It floors me when I meet a CFI who is nervous about stalls, afraid of spins, has less than 10 hours of actual IMC, has never flown more than a single fuel-tank away from home base, and hasn't ever had to deal with real weather. It happened again just a few weeks ago.