I'm a volunteer instructor at our club. We have a great program that is semi-formal. During daylight savings time, we shut the field down at 4pm every Thursday. We fly until dark. During that time, only students and instructors are allowed to fly.

I always do a thorough inspection of a new plane. Usually ask another member to have a look at it as well. We have airframe and powerplant inspectors in the pits to help with linkages, motor adjustments etc..

Then I'll take the plane up for a maiden and trim it. Couple laps around the circuit and land it. Nothing fancy. Then I'll explain any adjustments that it needs and have an airframe inspector help the student with those adjustments.

When I'm working with a student, I'll explain how the buddy box works. Explain the difference between UP elevator trim and DOWN elevator trim. We'll trim the buddy box in to the master box and make sure all works the right way. Then we go up and start flying.

You WILL NOT take-off your own plane until you show me that you can land it on your own. (usually one of the last things a student learns). Anybody can take off. Takes a pilot to land it. If you can't land it on your own--then you got no business taking off.

I start off asking students to just fly the circuit--or "racetrack" pattern with left hand turns. I want to see control. I want to see you establish a given bank--say 20* and hold that bank without over-rotating as you pull it through a turn. Biggest mistake I see students making is that they start into a turn with say--30* banking--and then as they begin to pull on the elevator, they end up pulling the stick into the corner. That causes the plane to rotate into an inverted position and it's headed for the ground in short order. It's taken a lot of time to teach some of those students how to pull straight back on the elevator without pushing the ailerons over more than where they started.

Once a student can run the race track and maintain good altitude and remain steady, I'll have them reverse directions. You can do it to the left--now do it to the right. Show control and awareness of where your sticks are. Maintain altitude. No bumping up and down.

After that, I'll start slowing them down. Most students seam to want to fly at wide open throttle settings when they start. Okay by me. They seam scared that if they slow it down, it'll sink or crash. I just let them fly around at full throttle. Once they get a little comfortable with control, I'll force them to throttle back to 1/2 throttle MAX. I like to get them down into 1/3 throttle range and let them see how the plane responds at slower speeds. Left turns. Right turns. Basically, start working on throttle management. Power up to climb. Power down. Maintain orientation while working all 4 axis of the plane.

Then I'll start them on figure eights. I fly the plane straight out in front of us and go about 150-200yrds away. Then I bring it back in and show them how to transition from left to right turns and how to do a figure eight while it's coming at them and going away from them. This is all about orientation. Getting them used to the controls being reversed as the plane comes at them.

Then I slow them down to just barely flying speed. Usually about 1/4 throttle or a click either way. More figure eights. Maintain altitude. Don't over-rotate. Smooth transitions from left wing to right wing. Throttle control. Power on to get out of trouble and climb. Now slow down and get back in the groove. Transition right and left through the figure eight turns.

When they can show proficiency in all aspects of normal flight, I'll start working them on landing approaches. We start high--about 100' and 1/2 throttle. Just fly it down the runway. Make sure you fly it on your downwind leg to a specific spot before making your base turn. Make your final turn to base and keep it lined up. Maintain a centerline approach with the runway. Wings level. Use rudder to yaw the plane over the centerline.

I start dropping them down in power and altitude over the course of a few flights. Usually try and maintain 1/4 throttle settings until they get REAL good at keeping it lined up and wings level. Use the rudder to yaw the nose in and out over the centerline.

Then I'll start having them do actual approaches with power at very low throttle settings or even idle after they are lined up on final. I keep my throttle at full to get out of trouble if they screw up. All I gotta do is let go of the button and I got full throttle and control. Keep it lined up. Level the decent. Cook off some speed. Let it sink. Flare it.

My hard rules:
You will fly where I tell you, when I tell you. Show control, or you'll be watching me fly your plane.
If you want to do aerobatics-- get soloed and buy a new plane. I'm here to teach you how to fly a basic trainer. This is not "Intermediate Piloting Skills and Basic Aerobatics" class. It's STUDENT training to get you soloed and on your way in the hobby. I'll teach you basic aerobatics later on -- on a Saturday. Right now, I'm your flight INSTRUCTOR and we're here for that specific purpose. It's not play time. Make the commitment and learn to fly so that I can move on and help somebody else. We have between 15-30 students every year, I don't have time or desire to goof around all season with one guy.
Show up with a plane thats charged and ready to go. If you need help with linkages or rebuilding after a crash--CALL ME AT HOME during the week and I'll be happy to come over and help you fix it. But if you show up at the field with a linkage out of adjustment or the landing gear hanging off--you're S.O.L. tonight, because I'm here to teach you to fly. I don't fix planes at the field.
Show up!! Be here at 4pm every week. Get your name on the sign up board and get your flights in. COMMIT!! Put your time in and get the stick time. You'll never solo if you show up once a month for 2 flights. Don't waste my time. I'm a volunteer. If you want to PAY me--go ahead and show up at 5pm and waste all the time you want.

Next year, or maybe the year after that--put in a season of flight instruction. Help somebody else learn to fly. Give something back to the club. I put in around 250--300hrs per year doing volunteer flight instruction. It's your turn. Give something back and nurture your hobby by helping somebody else become addicted.

Have fun. It's a great hobby. Airplanes crash. It's the nature of the beast. Happens to everyone. When you dump one--turn to the pits and take a bow. SMILE!! It's just a toy airplane--you weren't sitting in it.