Everyone is taught differently. What works for some may not work for others. And no two people have the same learning curve. I had one (1) student that soloed his first day out. I also know fliers that have been in the hobby for 20+ years and still need a buddy box.

If I tell 10 people to get a trainer, followed by an intermediate plane, probably one of them will tire of the trainer quickly. Does that mean I was wrong about telling him to go that route? The other 9 guys would say "no".

I'm not trying to be a smart *****, I'm just trying to keep most beginners out of trouble. At my club, we keep a Club Trainer on hand that we let newbies try. If they're really good and pick it up quickly, I usually tell them to start with an intermediate trainer. But every case is different, so in a forum like RCU, it's unwise to make blanket statements regarding how quickly someone should progress. We don't have a "trainer" here to see how quickly someone will pick it up. So I would rather err on the side of safety than tell someone to get a plane that is more advanced than he is ready for.