ORIGINAL: Alladin
Forgive me if I'm wrong, but wasn't it just a few years ago that people had to learn to fly on their own? I'm betting that all of your instructors had to learn to fly themselves when they started out. Why all of a sudden is it such a big deal to teach yourself? If he paid for the plane then it's his choice to take the risk of flying and possibly crashing. I flew solo this weekend after only 2 lessons, my instructor came out and saw me on the field and complimented me about how proud he is that I was able to come out on my own and teach myself to land. And trust me, this club is VERY strict about rules and who they let into the club. They all have a common goal, and thatt is to see people fly. I know this will rattle some cages and I don't mean for it too. Just asking a reasonable question.
You are correct, it is possible to teach yourself, and alot of people fly by themselves. I am sure there are people who have taught themselves and fly by themselves that are very safe. That really is not the point here. Nobody is saying that it is impossible to learn on your own, or that you will definately get hurt if you do, or that you will 100% positively crash your Plane on first take off. What people are trying to say in my observation is that from experience it has been found out by many that your best chances to succeed are with a Trained Instructor. There are countless people who can tell you that they were self taught, and are very safe, but I don't think any veteran pilot would recommend that you learn on your own over using a Trained Instructor. Clayton does have access to an Instructor, and should make better use of that fact. You also have to remember that no 2 people learn at the same speed. For me to suggest to someone new that I don't even know to just go out and do it themselves is reckless advice, when it is well know that the right advice would be to recommend an Instructor. I understand there are people who just don't have access to instruction, but this is not the case here. When you have somebody who is willing to take there time to try and help you learn, it is almost a slap in there face to just to do as you please after they have asked you not to do something. The time will come soon enough after you are off the buddy box that you will be making the critical decisions. I am not trying to rag on clayton here either. I really want to see him do well, as I do all new people joining the hobby, and I will be one of the first to congratulate and celebrate his first solo flight. I am really just trying to pass on a little advice he might find helpfull.