BigTim and Scar are right on with the Sim. Get AFPD or G3 and learn to fly sitting at your PC. If you are thorough, it will make the real thing much easier and your training time will be cut to a fraction. Simulators make all the difference in the world, but you have to use them.
As far as this,,
ORIGINAL: Red B.
ORIGINAL: MikeEast
Seriously, what qualifies someone as a "professional rc instructor"?
Is there an RC University (RCU
) out there somewhere that has "certified" (by who?) instructors?
In my world somebody who is making a living by working within a certain profession is a "professional".
An "amateur" is someone who does it for the fun/love of it.
It is probably best to distinguish between "professional" and "certified".
/Red B.
From a purely factual point of view, I agree somewhat. Typically, other than sports, a person is deemed "professional" after they have earned an education and a sheepskin from an accredited university or graduate program.
From a practical point of view, I dont know. I think that when it comes to RC, anyone can give themselves the title of "professional" and open a business. There is no real governing agency or benchmark to validate what would really qualify the title of professional. I am not saying that an instructor that has a full time business will not do a good job, but there is a GREAT likelihood that his ability to instruct will not be any more efficient or effective than a certified or even a volunteer instructor at a local club, AND he has just "decided" to take a stab at making a living by charging a fee and calling himself a pro. That is something that thousands of great pilots all over the world could legitimately do if they took the notion.