I know that the instrument training in RIQ is fulfilling a FAA mandate so that 18x Pilots can "legally" fly within the US airspace. But lets pause for a moment to think about the fact that now the only training you get before the FTU will be simulator T-6 instrument training, versus actual PIC time in a single engine aircraft. Does this mean students will get academics on VFR flying at Randolph? If not, going directly to instrument training without the background knowledge of VFR and basic military flying seems pretty unreasonable to me. I don't want to say it...but if IFT does indeed get canxd for the 18x pipeline, we will be even further away from being pilots and getting real close to what rhymes with shmoperator.