I'm not disagreeing that some people stay on their trainer too long, OTOH, some people want to push the transition to a second plane before they have mastered some important basics. IMO, there's more to be learned on a trainer than being able to consistantly make bounce free landings. A few of these include:
[ul][*] Being able to handle a deadstick without panic. Only practice can overcome the desire to pull back on the elevator in an attempt to keep the plane flying longer. As one moves to more advanced planes, the ability to recover the plane after such mistakes goes down significantly.[*] Similar thoughts for spins, should be able to recover from them without panic.[*] Keeping the plane on the ground during takeoff, resisting the urge to horse it up too early, and then performing a shallow climbout, which may be necessary for planes with higher wing loading, such as warbirds. Might as well start learning these from the beginning.[*] Managing the throttle and using the rudder during landings rather than relying on the elevator to extend the glide and ailerons for course corrections. Learning these early could save a plane in the future.[*] Comfort flying the plane lower than "3 mistakes high".
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