The whole training vs. testing discussion got me to thinking.
I teach people to fly. Often, under controlled circumstances, I put them in what could be hazardous situations if I weren't there, much as Jay described firefighter trainees have experienced firefighters standing by to guide and protect the inexperienced. I can talk all day long about an aerodynamic stall, but, until you experience one, particularly if it departs into a spin, you don't really know.
This is vs. an aircraft like the Cirrus, which has a ballistic recovery system. I've seen the films, I've read the training material, and I know where the handle is, but it is not a good idea, both for safety and economic reasons, to actually fire the thing off as a training exercise.