When I instruct student pilots, I tell them to try to keep the antenna perpendicular to the plane direction of travel and not point the antenna toward the plane. Usually, that means pointing the antenna straight up and working with it like that.

But, it's more important to teach proper flying technique than to worry what direction the antenna is pointed in. For most beginner pilots, the focus should be on the plane not the antenna.. except, perhaps, to not forget to extend the antenna on the 72 MHz systems.. [X(] Yeah.. I learned that the hard way..

CGr