Has anyone worked up an instructor's checklist for working with new fliers? You know, with specifics to be addressed before you put his plane in the air like making sure they know the pattern and their controls aren't reversed.

Yes, it has been done. It starts with an intro to a ground school type approach to explain the control surfaces and inputs, CG, inspection, preflight, etc.
Major problem is from potential sky hole borers,"idon't want to know that stuff"
From first hand experience, if done properly a newbie is almost automatically a more proficient and safe pilot.

We worked out a training syllabus in my club several years ago when there was an attempt to standardize instruction. We included pre-flight checklists for both the instructor and the student. We also had a list of tasks the student had to accomplish and an example (in words) of the standard to which we intended to hold them.

May I suggest you go to: http://www.palosrc.com/

Palos park RC Club has an excellent training summary in two web articles, "Flight Training" and "Instructor's Corner."

Hey Man, that is a scary thought that someone would possibly take off with a buddy cord and not check only that both boxes were set properly and alike right down to the point that at transfer of control, no visible surface movement can be observed.
Then, when the Instructor gets the machine all trimmed up, he then advises the student to make any necessary corrections to his trim, then the instructor must assure the student is hands-off, and then the instructor transfers control and observes the student's airplane. The instructor then advises the student which control trims to be corrected to assure that at transfer of controls, the machine does not change its flight path. As Stalspin so stated, there must first be a ground school. I tell my students that they can expect an hour briefing the first time, then a couple flights then a couple more hours ground school and SAFETY until it runs out their ears.

Check out Palos. They have a good program.

I guess I'm just kind of surprised that no one has developed a syllabus. I just expected to go to the AMA site and find a preflight checklist sort of thing but all I found was liability waivers. The Palos park RC Club stuff is excellent but more advice oriented.

I was thinking of a checkoff sheet where the subjects could be checked and signed for by the instructor then the sheet left with the student. It would give the student a good overall idea of what's important and allow multiple instructors to work with the student.

Northern Virginia Radio Control has what you are looking for;

http://www.1nvrc.com/

Closer. Maybe I'm going to be the originator of this.

Another possibility, I think the BMFA (British version of AMA) has a program in place.

There is one on my web site in the tips section.
http://www.geistware.com/rcmodeling/check_lists.htm

Good one. Copyright issues? Mind if it is used? Mind if it is embellished?

Good one. Copyright issues? Mind if it is used? Mind if it is embellished?