On Wednesday, July 16, 2014 3:41:40 PM UTC-4, noel.wade wrote:

one of the issues leading to a lack of XC pilots is that basic training (especially in club environments) tends to be a very drawn-out affair. First, weekends and good weather limit the number of days people are interested in flying ...

I've seen too many students with 'go for it' personalities abandon their soaring training for want of more rapid progress. What about getting promising students on XC flights before they drop out of soaring? Maybe this would help reduce the drop out rate and transition people to XC before they get bored. It might accelerate basic training.

How many XC pilots flew XC (in tandem) before they finished their basic training? I'd guess that that happens at some clubs.