As a pilot, I've often let non pilots try their hand at flying the aircraft. In smooth air at altitude under near ideal conditions, flying a plane is pretty easy.Really? You've never seen a pilot hand the controls to someone who has never flown before and let them fly it for a bit without actually landing the plane or taking off???? I've seen pilots do that.
Even without an auto pilot on a smooth day you can take the average single engine Cessna, establish heading and altitude, trim the aircraft, then take your hands off and just sit there watching the scenery go by (as long as you keep track of where you are).
Short of playing in a thunderstorm, flying very badly on instruments or doing something stupid and pulling the wings off the plane, accidents don't happen at altitude, they happen close to the ground where precision and knowing what you are doing becomes important. That's why you never see a pilot let a totally inexperienced non pilot make a landing on their own. I've even had very good student pilots suddenly try to kill me on landing - it's amazing how fast a little mistake can become fatal close to the ground in an airplane.
Going into an over head is not analogous to taking the controls at altitude, it's the equivalent of making a "landing" and you need to know what you are doing or it could very quickly turn fatal.
---------- Post added November 19th, 2012 at 03:40 PM ----------
Funerals are what $7000 minimum?Actually I think I want to take the cavern class after looking at whats his names website...
400 bucks seems awfully steep though.
Besides, if you really don't feel it was worth it, he's given you an out.
At a minimum he's saving your life.