Am I missing something? The whole RC flying thing - is it a business or hobby? Did you join a "Small Business Organization" or "Hobby Club"? I think I remember right, that AMA club is a "non profit organization". It doesn't make money, it doesn't pay taxes. So let's keep it that way.

What I'm trying to say is, don't let "the business" take over our joy. Our club will be as we make it. If we turn it into "pay here - get this" machine it wont be fun any more. Does the club's president do his job for 20 bucks an hour? No! Does the Safety officer watch the flying site to be safe for 20 bucks an hour? No again! So what makes the Instructor so special, that he must be paid to train new members? What is the benefit of that? Will he do his job better if he is paid? If so, that I wouldn't want to deal with such guy.

Think about it. The club is us. If we decide to stop recruiting new members because the field is crowded, because we don't want to grow, that's fine. We don't need to train new people any more. The paid instructor will not help the new guy to join our club - it's closed. Finito.

Another words saying, if your club needs new members, you have to train them first (safety first !!!). And you train them for the benefit of the club, not the instructor. The only way I can think of having the paid instructor is, that club doesn't have anybody, who has the skills and the time. But then the club should hire him (the same way, the club hires the guy to mower the grass).

I hope I expressed my point and I will not to add anything else to this discussion.

RysiuM