[3niner]

I know that, I was simply repeating the terminology from the article in order to not confuse the non-pilot posters. A lot of people have trouble understanding that a student pilot situation is very different from a student driver situation.

In an aircraft, the instructor always has complete control (potentially). If the student is skilled, the instructor might not touch the controls at all, and a non-pilot might think of them as a "safety pilot". With a less skilled student, the instructor may do most of the flying. It is typical for an instructor to put hands on at critical moments.

[Hulka]

Understood. . .no harm done, as you were surely helpful to many. I should have been more understanding.

[Niteflyr]

In an aircraft, the instructor always has complete control (potentially). If the student is skilled, the instructor might not touch the controls at all, and a non-pilot might think of them as a "safety pilot". With a less skilled student, the instructor may do most of the flying. It is typical for an instructor to put hands on at critical moments.

Exactly right....and I don't know if I'd even call someone a "safety pilot" at all in the situtation . I might do some instrument approaches on the hood with another pilot in the right seat and refer to him as a "safety pilot" (which makes two certified pilots in the airplane)...and there is always at any given moment only one pilot in command and it can never be an un-certified person, no matter how young or slick they are on the stick .