As for writing it down - we did this extensively. The father brought a pen a paper, and we had a long conversation, discussing why his plane was not a good plane to learn on, how to balance the plane, and many other things. I also had them spend time on the simulator before we flew (this was in connection with an AMA TAG event).

To TheBrickLayer: Good tip about the fuse vibrations. When I get to the point of teaching them to tune the engine, I'll try it. I was also going to use a tachometer, since it gives a good visual indication. I also teach my students to put their fingers in the exhaust stream to ensure there is plenty of unburned oil coming out.

To nobodytwo: I've used the Ragland Technique with many of my students, particularly for the first flight to get rid of the stick slamming. We did this on Saturday, and it helped quite a bit.

To everyone, I would ask that you ignore agexperts attempts to bait you off topic. Thank you for your ideas.

Brad