I'm not an rc guru or anything close to it, but I would make it as close to a real plane as possible. Pull back on the stick to pull up (assuming you are right side up) and push forward to dive. Think of it as if you are standing straight up and can only bend at the waist. If you want to look at the sky, you have to lean back. Look at the ground, lean forward.

Two things about the hobby store guys advice...
a) He learned to fly on a Nintendo
b) Don't let him fly your plane