RE: Trainer climbs like a Hot Air Ballon!
Throttle controls altitude, elevator controls speed, even in the real world. You model is doing what it should, climb with power, throttle back to maintain, and close the throttle to descend. All full size pilots will tell you that, and so should your instructor. If your model does this, then it's pretty close to how it should be.
Evan, WB#12.