Here's two cents from a newbie teen if you can believe that

On paid instruction, I totally disapprove. You have to realize that this hobby is expensive and more money is going to scare away every teen. (Remember how much money you had when you were young, compare it to the price of an electric ARF now) The future of this hobby (IMHO) is in the youth who actually spend their life savings in order to try it out, if anyone or anyclub required money in order to train, I'd go and learn on my own (especially with 25 smakaroos per hour). I live 85 miles from the nearest field and paying for training is completely unacceptable. Im not going to drive in a car for hours pay to fly for a few hours, and then pay for the gas when I get home. Its in the trainer's best intrest in order to introduce new members, especially teens. From what I hear, teen flyers are a dying breed with the advent of playstations and the such, if you make the hobby more expensive than what it should be, then people who are straped for cash will simply quit, what are they to do? If more exprienced modelers will just devote some of their time, then even the weekend "try it out"'s will eventually become part of the hobby, I'd want someone intrested in introducting new people to train me. That way I would get supurior training because that person actually cares about my flying ability and my commitment to the hobby. If they require me to pay, they most likely are thinking about there paycheck rather than my erratic flying habits. I think that those people who charge for their services are bored with training and new members if they need money for supposed "operating expenses" and that they should stop charging now. Its people like that who are shrinking this hobby. Im not saying that every trainer is like that, but it would be a better world if those that were would just change now or just leave.

(please don't take this too offensively)