My Opinion.. I've watched plenty of instructors that have got to have the patience of Jobe. They spend hours/days trying to help students achieve the ultimate goal of saftely flying and landing an airplane. I, for one, would really have a hard time doing that day after day, year after year. Especially with that one guy. The one that could try a hundred years and never be able to fly. It happens. But most of the instructors do it for the satisfaction of passing on their skills, knowledge and abilities to another and they do it solely for satisfaction.

The way I see it, these guys are not only giving up and sharing their knowledge, but they're giving up their time. Time today, is worth quite a bit. After sharing a lot of time with an instructor, the student eventually gets to know him/her quite a bit. I'd say to students, find something the instructor likes to do, and if you're inclined, go ahead and get a little something for him. If it's Coors, then so be it. A couple bottles of CA or epoxy is always appreciated. Offer to take him and his wife/significant other out to dinner. Make it a family friendship. That certainly offsets some of the time the instructor spends away from his family trying to teach you skills you desperately need if you want to fly.

I'm sure we can all look back at our instructors and find that one or two special occasions that he saved you at least a couple bottles worth of CA up to a full course meal at a five star restarunt by hitting that "Trainer Switch" at the right moment. Most instructors, I'm sure, don't expect anything. But it's always nice to get a surprise/present, a debt of gratitude, when it's least expected.