Now for my two cents:

I'd pay a lot for an instructor. I've been flying for a month or two now, and I didn't have to pay an instructor. The reason I'd pay a lot: knowledge. Knowledge is worth much more than the 1/2 hour or one hour an instructor provides. I soak up all the "free" knowledge I can, including this forum, magazines, videos, flight simulator help, etc, but nothing beats one on one instruction.

As a dermatologist, I often get $150 to $200 for a 5 to 10 minute internet survey. This is a lot for 10 minutes of work, but it is not the 10 minutes, it is the invaluable information that can be gleaned.

Maybe someday I'll get into turbine jets. You can bet I'll be looking for a great instructor, and I'll gladly pay for her expertise.