I have instructed full scale pilots a couple of times. They do pick it up a little quicker and understand things better. I also know two full scale airline pilots who fly RC.

I did have an exciting experience once. I was at the flying field and there were a couple of new guys. This was a public field so there are always new faces there. They set up at the end of the pit area and were getting their plane ready to fly. It was a used trainer they must have bought that was flyable. They did not ask for help and didn't really look like they required help. I was flying at the time and they decided to try to fly their plane. Well, the plane did get off the ground. The plane took off, turned, and flew right over the flight line missing pilots by maybe a couple of feet. The plane was being overcontrolled and rolled inverted a couple of times. Way too much stick movement. The pilot finally had it inverted and pulled up. The plane crashed just outside of the pit area.

After the crash people asked them about their experience. They said that they were commercial airline pilots and they had never flown RC before. They were offered help by people at the field to get up and going again, but the pilots said that they did not need help and that it was the plane that caused the crash. To this date I have not seen them return to the field. This could have ended in a serious injury, they just got lucky. I think they didn't realize that the roll rate of a 737 is a bit slower than a 40 size trainer plane.

Moral of the story, they do make good RC pilots. But, they need to understand that flying a plane by watching it is different from sitting in a cockpit. When you are 4 feet off the ground and turn the wrong direction, there is very little time to recover. Also there is no air speed indicator or stall warning devices, you have to see that the plane is about to stall by the way it flies and how it responds to the controls.

I do have a little stick time in a 150 while flying with friends and have thought of getting my liscense. I just don't have the extra $$$ and desire at the moment.