ORIGINAL: Mike in DC
The "hand the transmitter to the instructor" works fine 3 mistakes high, but how do you learn how to land? Suppose you're 10 feet off the runway, and the student stalls or turns the wrong way. I don't think the instructor could get the transmitter and gain control in time to save the plane (or worse).
The "instructor fingers over the student fingers" is a personal preference thing. Many men prefer a little more personal space than the method affords, but for others it's very successful.
I was trained by this method and it wasn't "instructors fingers over the student fingers", in fact, I don't think there was any physical contact at all with my instructor. Has anyone actually read how this method really works? His thumb and forefinger was underneath my thumb, which was on top of the stick. The stick could even be extended so there could be that much more "space" for the insecure. lol BTW, this "closeness" only lasts for no more than 5 minutes, total.
nascarjoe