I don't like flying trainers around in circles either, but I enjoy drifting one along inverted just above the runway & just above stall speed. I also like flying trainers in a good number of maneuvers that trainers "can't" do. But that is really irrelevant, it is just my likes & dislikes. The initial post was "Do we have to learn on floaters"? The very broad answer is YES, because the huge majority of novices just don't have the skills to fly anything else. Floating comes with the territory. Some pilots will never be very skilled, just good basic fliers, & well flown trainer types give them a good ride in the sky. Others will quickly move on the something else, but flying floaters is not just going in circles -- there are a ton of skills to lean from these planes & those who quickly move to something else, after mastering circles & bumps, are skipping a real step in the learning process. The ability to fly these kites in challenging evolutions is a usefull skill to have, regardless of your state of flying development. You don't have to like it, & you don't have to stay with it-- but you had better be able to do it, or there is a significant hole in your ability spectrum. There is also a lot of genuine flying fun that you will otherwise miss.