To all new pilots reading this post...Yes you can teach yourself...however I don't recommend that approach....
These airplanes bite...and they bite hard.....I wish you could see my right hand...an instructor teaches you safety-
There are things to do and ways to fly at a club field...You know the pattern and no fly zones Etc.....an instructor teaches you that...
You can fly a simulator...but a sim helps a student learn it is by no means an instructor subsitute...there is simply no better way to learn than with stick time
An instructor will 99% of the time let you take your airplane home in one piece.
And the number one reason to get with an instructor.....why rob yourself the friendship your going to make with your instructor...and the other guys around the field....you know those guys standing around will even tell you good landing when you make one.....
I know this is off topic.....just didn't want someone to read this and think teaching yourself is a good approach...If you think it is send you're 16 year old son out with your new vette and have him teach himself to get his drivers license

My experience is diametric to JetMech.

No club, no instructor, no one but me and my aircraft..........I flew 8 packs yesterday and am charging to go when the sun comes up this morning.

I already knew sticking my hand in the prop was dangerous so I was ahead of the curve.

I knew that too auger 30 plus years working on full scale airplanes jets, turbo props, and recips.......but I still got, got.....

When you guys are buddy boxxing , what do you watch out for mostly?
What do you do with your hands, sticks?

Let's say you know nothing about the student :

Are you watching intently while holding the trainer switch? Is your right hand twitching to take over as soon as needed?
Do you leave your sticks all in the middle even the throttle?
Do you wait until the very last minute to recover if you can?
Do you imediately take control and correct then give it back imediately?
Do you rotate control at first? You fly 2 laps, I fly 1 , you fly 3 , I fly 1?
Do you allow student full time until you land? then talk about stuff? Can students listen while concentrating?

Maybe it'd be easier to point me to a trainer trainer book or training trainer link, right?

Guver....It depends on the student and what we're working on.....for example if we are first learning takeoffs...then after I give the airplane to my student I push the throttle full up, with my right hand then put my right thumb on the stick standing by...better to have full power and not need it than to need full power and not have it.....and I am watching the airplane.....
In the beginning I reach over and set throttle position for my student, I take off then give it to him at about 1/2 throttle....
Working landings again I am at full throttle....
You'll soon learn your student...and you'll know when he needs to be watched closely and when you can look away...the closer he is to solo the more you can look away and be more like a spotter.....
I know at first I was nervous too...but it'll be ok....relax have fun and teach from the heart

This all depends on where the student is at that point. If a real beginner, meaning has never flown before, well, of course, the instructor takes the plane off then climbs to "three mistakes high" and describes to the student what he had told him before the flight began.. what they were going to do for that flight.

Usually, it is orbits. Right turns, many of them, then left turns.. many of them.

The instructor watches the aircraft intently to make sure that what is going on is what is supposed to be going on. If something happens, the instructor releases the button and takes over saying "I have the aircraft", makes the correction, explains what happened, then says, "OK, Captain.. it's your plane" or words to that effect.

If the student is beyond orbits, then perhaps figure eight maneuvers are in order. The instructor watches, again watches intently to make sure that the student is doing what he/she is supposed to be doing, but takes control when a problem arises.

The point is, the instructor watches the plane and offers some advice or instruction, softly and purposefully, so that the instructor does not cause the student any more anxiety than he/she already has. But, watching the plane all the time, not the student. The point is to make sure the student follows the point of that instructionional flight and that the plane (and anything or anyone around at the time) is safe.

CGr.

We finally had our first lesson a few days ago. Went pretty well if you ask me. Here's how transpired.

I had bought my friend a RF 6 a few months ago and I guess he's done ok with it.
While battery charged up I watched him on my RF6 and wasn't impressed. It looked like he hadn't practised at all. He was working the rudder a lot and just plane moving the sticks a lot. I had him set his left hand down on the table and use only his right for a while. My screen is a bit small so we both had a hard time seeing the plane and a lot of wasted time was just guessing at orientation.

We had already both decided on using my flylite for the trainer plane and I had only flew it twice in the last number of months so I checked out both TX and the trim setings on the plane on the bench. I had already trimmed the plane for as good as level flight can be.

I showed him the link between the TXs and how it worked cuz He said he just wanted to watch me fly instead. I said "no your ready" and explained that if it crashed it was My fault. Once he seen the Tactic wireless link and how it worked he had some confidence. I didn't have much hope after seeing him on the sim.

Anyways we went out back and I told him we'd make laps with left turns and then laps with right turns or he could just whatever he wanted to do. I told him that I'd take the plane only if he got into trouble OR anytime he said to and wanted to relax.

We did a quick start up procedure and control check and wireless trainer check on the trampoline. I gave it a hand toss and was glad it was still trimmed out well. I did a few laps and put it in level flight with both throttles at half at one end of the field and gave it over to him.

He did really well and used too much stick movements of course , but the plane is just forgiving so no matter. It's also VERY slow and we can run it WOT or half throttle makes no difference really. It just is so easy to fly. It wants to fly.

One of the turns is over by the woods and He got a bit tangled up close to the trees and then I almost put it in the trees too. all in all I only had to take the plane about 3-4 times and only for a few seconds each time. The nice thing for me was that every time I took it , I NEVER had to move the sticks at all. Only the once by the trees did I make a very quick turn for him. Just a few seconds though.

So anyways He flew for maybe 10 minutes with us quite relaxed and talking comfortably and then I finally told him that I should take it in because I didn't have a timer and we were too low to do a deadstick landing. I landed it and He commented how very EASY it was to fly it.

We went over using thumbs vs. pinching the sticks because he moves them so much. I think I'm going to have him try pinching and watch him work the TX a bit more rather than watch the plane. Maybe try to perfect the slow careful stick movements on the Sim so I can watch him carefully. He has same trouble on the sim as he does with the plane. I had him on LOW rates while my TX is always on high rates. The plane has PLENTY of control throw even on low rates and has a nice CG and balance.

Well anyways He thanked me no less than 3 times for the lesson and couldn't get over how easy it was. We both said it was easier to fly the flylite than the sim is.
I'm super pleased and look forward to next lessons which will be next week.

sorry for long post, I'm just stoked and tickled to death.

I just started instructing and got a great tip from a guy who's been doing it for several years. While the student is flying, move the sticks the way YOU would move them. Then if you suddenly have to take back control the sticks are already where you want them...instant recovery. I found it also kept me from saying "right" when I meant "left", because my hands know what to do, and nothing gets lost in translation if I just tell the student to do what my hands are doing. Also, once the student is doing most of the flying, you don't get caught suddenly having to bail him out when you've let your attention relax! Of course, you would never relax your attention, right? Me neither...if I'm moving the sticks.

The guy who gave me the tip likes to get people on the box without much talking. Explain what the controls do, get them going. As someone said, one principle before a lesson is sensible. I do think the aerodynamics are valuable, but explanations can come in small pieces as you go along.

I taught myself on a 2 channel .049 all-balsa trainer, so I never went through the student process with an instructor. I had learned a lot from free flight and control line before I started RC. I think that makes it hard for me to put myself in the student's shoes, so I listen in on other instructors and do what makes sense to me.

Jim

Excellent , thanks. After the tree incident I found myself doing exactly that (moving the sticks the way I would move them) I was watching plane VERY closely then. This was my first lesson and I did get caught off guard a couple of times.

I think I'm going to go over why I never had to move the sticks when I took control with Him to kinda get around the "over-controlling" tendency. He doesn't know that I never had to make a correction for him. I may also reduce rudder throw some too , it may help.

I'm using an old Sig Kadet Mk. II with OS 40 FP to train. It's an odd one because it has a foam wing with no ailerons. Tx is set up with rudder on right stick AND left stick so you can taxi and take off with left stick and fly with right. It flies nice and slow at a little under half throttle. I can see where a Senior, Senorita, or LT could be even better, but it works great and students seem to like it.

Jim

For now we're comfortable with the flylite. I can't really say enough good about it. I'm sure it may be a bit unorthodox as a trainer , but it's the second plane I learned on and I flew it about 100 flights before the first crash. Now it's even better because I slowed it down somewhat. I'm not one for flying slow and low , but it seemed to work fine for us and we never lost orientation at all. Next lesson will be much higher altitude. Now that I remember I did tell Him a few times to advance the throttle and climb to get some more altitude. We were not very high at all , but this plane is so floaty and light that I probably could've dead sticked it in from any point we were. Only trouble would be some wind for us.

I'm sure we'll do very fine for lesson 2.

I was "soloed" in less than an hour with a 2 channel, 6 foot span glider. The instructor trimmed the plane for a gentle rate of decent when you let go of the stick and told me to move the stick to the low wing to level it out when flying it towards me.
This is the most "intuitive" way to learn and I've passed the same method on to my sisters and a few friends.
I skipped the typical 4 channel trainer ....an "Ugly Stick" was my 4 channel trainer. A 3D Profile with the controls dialed down would have worked just as well. They will land in 1/2 the space that the typical 4 channel trainers need.

Everything said has been very good and I'm very certain we have great instructors posting on this thread but; you all have missed one very important item to be a great teacher. Praise your students no matter how small their improvement may be. A pat on the back and a compliment goes a long way!


Steve

Great point Steve! I'm self taught and if I can manage to my plane on the ground in one piece, I always pat myself on the back.

James

This brings a couple things to mind. Having been around a number of teachers in my life I have noticed some things that have hurt teacher and student and some things that have helped. A teacher is not above the student or student above the teacher. One does not work without the other. If you have no student then who do you instruct and if one cannot listen how will he learn?

The better teachers quickly discern as best they can the student's perception to figure out what method of instruction to utilize. Some learn fast and others do not. I don't think it is a one size fits all mentality that will work.

I believe the greatest teachers know how to share what they have been given. Do you remember who taught you the most as you grew and how they did it? What triggered your learning process? Who did you really listen to and why did that sink in?

It is tough with RC planes as most volunteer their time to teach just to help and it is certainly appreciated, however it is not always the best. Some get trained to fly and know absolutely nothing about flight, safety, proper take off and landing, flying with others, etc.

I for one busted up a number of LG and a few planes because I was not taught and did not understand some of the basic factors that would have saved me in those situations. I spent time to learn those things on my own in the past two years and has saved me tremendously. Now I pass that info along if at all possible so that it may help someone else.

I see guys often that were able to fly but no one taught them about how to make an approach and properly land the airplane or how to deal with wind conditions and many other variables. They wind up busting landing gear up and toasting many airplanes over the course of a season. If they had been trained better they would save more planes and money as well and be better pilots overall.