ok, i might have bitten off more than i can chew, but i live in a town of 1500 in the middle of nowhere and i had to teach myself to fly and there was no one else around to help, well now that i can fly and pretty good i might say, i had a 14-15 year old call me today and left me a message to call him back. well so happens that some "old man" gave him a hobbyco trainer nib and he wants me to take him out and teach him to fly, while i think i can i was just wondering what kind of help and suggestions i can get from all my friends here on rcu, for this is how i learned to fly and you guys did an outstanding job, so help give me a itenerary(wow thats not spelled right) on how i should start. i know this is a hard one but i know you can help, please, no windbagging

[link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_3246963/tm.htm]Here some good suggestions[/link]

Start by checking the plane out carefully. Make sure glue joints are all goood, radio is mounted right and control rods are all solid. Once that is done, make sure the batteries are all charged right, and test fly it. teach him as you do things so he knows what you are doing. then put him on a buddy box up high and start slow with him, working on turns and holding alt. Then progress as you see fit. Don't go too fast and don't scare him.

Good luck. you will get a lot of satisfaction working with him, and may even make a good friend.

Now you know how Wilbur and Orville felt, but they didn't have a buddy box. Flyboy pegged it. Make sure it's airworthy first, start high up until he's comfortable with basic control, then takeoffs, then landings. I admire those who taught themselves; I was aircrew in USAF, understand aerodynamics, theory of flight, etc. and have loved planes since I was a kid. Only started flyin r/c a couple years ago, was convinced I was a hopeless case after my 1st couple of months trying WITH an accomplished instructor. You'll do fine with this kid. Go for it.

Well, I've been teaching for many years. We have a 13 year old that has become our Ace pilot in the club and believe it or not, he is now instructing. He does 3d stuff.

I usually follow a routine and use a Buddy Box which all but rules out a possible crash which can discourage a kid.
My routine is to have them start with an egg shaped oval to the left. Once they are comfortable with that, I teach him a right turn oval. Then, I start them on a figure 8 which teaches them to do a right turn followed by a left turn. All of this may take a matter of days or weeks or even months depending on how quick a learner you have.
Once I am sure they are not going to give it left when they should be giving them right, I start them on landing approaches, which requires a good engine that won't quit during idle.
I have them make approach after approach, kick in the power and go around again.
Over and over. When satisfied with that, you can let them land. Do not let them fly too far away and do not let them make long, long landing approaches. Have them keep the airplane in close where they can see it better and have better control. When this is done, start them on aerobatics which teaches them orientation. Loops, Cuban Eights, Reverse Cuban Eights, and perhaps flying inverted.
All of this keeps them under pressure to learn which is what you want. If they have what it takes, the will be a good pilot.

3dBob

Thanks guys, between this thread and the other thread i think i can pretty well handle it, thanks again

not a dry heat anymore!!!!!!!!

Just don't make the mistake I made while using a buddy box to teach my g/f. When I told her I was going to take it back so she could relax a bit, I didn't release the training switch on the master Tx. One Avistar right into the ground, and I instantly knew that I was the reason. Might be good to rehearse the training flight on the ground before actually in the air. Could benefit both the trainer and the trainee. Happy training and certainly make sure that you are perfectly comfortable flying the the training aircraft in the first place.
Tom

At least you weren't busy drinking coffee and talking to your friends as the plane went in. Seen it twice up here in Northern Nevada. LOL Got to love our "certified instructors"

Oh, I agree with everthing said but would advise not to let the student train with anything but a trainer aircraft. I had one use a Big Stick and foolishly I did it. The plane was too fast and he flew too low and when trouble hit I couldn't save it. So, Keep them slow and keep them high. If the comes down low you take over and move it back up high. Be ruthless about this. We don't want to loose the aircraft. There is a middle stage for learners where they can control the aircraft but still get into trouble they can't get out of. Keep it high.

Actually, we need a manual for instructors with tips that work.

Mike Lynch and Tom Rhodes of the Crystal River R/C Club in Beverly Hills, FL put together a pilot training program a few years ago that several clubs have adopted. I'd post a copy of it, but I haven't been able to locate them to get permission. I gave copies of it to each of our club instructors. Its an excellent manual. I found it from the North Dallas Radio Control Club at [link=http://www.ndrcc.com/training/Pilot_Training_Program_REV1_1.pdf]their website[/link]

Brad

I've been instructing for a few years now. There is one piece of advice that I would give in this situation. Don't be afraid to take control of the plane to save it. A lot of time the student may complain that you took control, they think they could have saved it, but in most cases would not have been able to. So if you are in doubt release the switch and take control. When you first start you will be taking the plane constantly, but as the student progresses you will take it less and less. But as the student progresses make sure that you do let him learn to recover the plane himself, it's a valuable skill that needs to be learned.

Hope this helps

Ken

well guys i guess i got one in a million kids to teach, seems he has been practicing with a 3ch electric and became pretty good, flew it till it wouldnt fly anymore, well to make a long story short his dad is friends with the guy that runs the local airport, you have to understand i live i one of the most remote areas of california near death valley, but anyway we recieved permission to use the runway to do this training, had no buddy box so i checked out the plane and tuned his os in his nexstar and i flew her to get it trimmed(nice flying plane) then took off again and got her highhhhhh and handed him the box(his mom and dad were both there ohhhhing), but this kid showed good skill right off the bat and flew it around about 15 min and then i landed it for him, andyways on the next flight he took off and flew 20 min and i landed and on the third flight he did it all, (even broke the prop) im kinda glad because he needed to be brought down a notch, but id like to thank you guys for helping me out and all

I wouldn't have flown this. This is an explain and walk away situation. I learned by passing the box but would never do it. I had a student that I did pass the box with but when I reached for the box he pulled it away from me. How do you figure stuff like that beforehand? Well if there is no buddy box don't fly it. Think of the liability issues and don't do it.

sorry but i dont live by the big city ways out here, things are a little bit slower out here

GJeffers,
Were you flying at Inyokern airport or is there one in Trona I didn't know about?
I lived in R/C for five years in the early 90s and loved that place.
Great town and great people.
KW_Counter

GJeffers, I was that kid in 1970. I got three training flights on a Falcon 56 and landed the first flight, took off on the second, and did the whole thing on the third.........

Even to this day, I would rather pass the transmitter than use a buddy box. I can fly a plane from the right side and don't need to hold it to recover from a trainee upset.

But when I train someone, I do it quite a bit different from most. As soon as they can make a few gentle left and right turns at altitude with out dropping the nose into a spiral dive, I start acrobatic training. First loops, then rolls, and then immelman turns and Cuban eight’s. The reason for this aggressive approach is that A.) it is just more fun for the student, it why they want to fly anyway.. B.) Most importantly, it gets the airplane into unusual attitudes which the student learns how to recover from. Because of this, the student becomes very relaxed when just flying circuits around the field, because he has flown what he thinks is more difficult maneuvers. At this point, the time a student can concentrate is very short, so every minute or two I take back the airplane to check the trim. Pretty soon however, they start flying for longer periods as it gets easier for them.

After they are able to do the basic acrobatics without ending up in trouble, we start the pattern work. At first, just lining up with the runway and flying down it’s length at altitude is all you want to do. When they can do the downwind, base and final turns and place the airplane, it’s time to start work on “Slow Flight”. Here they see and feel how the airplane reacts at the low speeds required to land, without being close to the ground. It also gives them the ability to know how to go around if a landing approach looks bad. After this, practice approaches until finally one looks so good, that they land it. Usually this is where they break their first prop, but learning to flair just takes practice.

At this point, you as the instructor, are just the safety net and security blanket. There is still much to teach, but most “instructors” are at about their own skill limit at this point. Cross-wind take-off and landing’s, use of the rudder in turns, and more advanced maneuvers that may be beyond the capabilities of their trainer. I like to continue to work with students for two or three airplanes as their skills increase.

KW_COUNTER, there is a nice country airport here in Trona, about 100yds wide and im guessing 3-4000 ft long? big though, and prob about 2-3 planes a day land, other than that i fly at the local county mixing stripsee pic!

High plains, i learned the same except i had no instructor, i basicly went through the same steps you just mentioned, i dont know how i got thru it but it was miraculous, but i do still have my alpha trainer and its in decent shape, im now on my 6th plane and only destroyed one, doing ok, thanks for your support for us small town guys