Originally Posted by Cubdriver

Walking a student through a chandelle or a practice approach is not very hard. It's the accrued wisdom, knowledge, study, experience, improvement, efficiency, style, personal growth, insight, setbacks, reverses, successes, scares, joys, challenges, and overall personal evolution that combine to make a mature aviator. Most people can regurgitate a set of maneuvers long enough to pass the checkride. But it is the gradual building of experience and knowledge over time that no flight training curriculum can give. I had a high pass rate for my training career and I thought it was easy flying airplanes. But this was a dangerous illusion created from having only faced simulated tests where everything was provided to pass. As life went on and I was exposed to real, non-simulated challenges I realized how shallow my world of flight training was. Flight training is no more than a start, and that's all it can be. Continued, meaningful improvement is only possible through continued study and effort, a process that takes time and never stops with the passing of a checkride.