I Need an instructor any where near or betwween San Diego and Los Angelos (preferably a private instructor. Please post an air field or area and time to meet, I have everything to fly (I think I do). Also I will bring cofee and donuts, also I will give you a gallon of 15% air plane fuel I can't take on the air line. I'm only in town for 8 more days and would like to solo before I leave. Thankyou Dave.

Contact a local club, they can help you.

I fly in Northern San Diego County. http://palomarrcflyers.org

There are several clubs and fields in the area. You will have no trouble finding free instruction. there are SEVERAL fields in the area you described, (it's thousands of square miles), and lots of driving.

Where are you staying? Come out as a guest, or contact one of the club oficers and set-up a lesson. First one's free....hehehehe

Good Luck with your solo.

Is it o.k. if I have MAAC insurance instead of AMA insurance.

Most clubs only teach once or twice a week, therefore don't expect to receive enough training to solo within 8 days. But it all depends upon how much previous flight training you have, how good your instructors are and how good of a student you are.

CCR

As far as insurance goes, it may be wise to get an introductory AMA membership on-line (It's like $20). Print out your receipt and contact an instructor PRIOR to showing-up.

The club I listed offers free instruction to members or soon-to-be members with AMA. There is at least one instructor on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and the weekend. BUT you should not show-up unannounced and expect them to drop everything to teach you. They do it mostly to expand club membership and because they love to share this fine hobby with others who are interested.

If you want to get intensive training, you will need to arrange that on your own with an individual instructor and compensate him/her accordingly. These people are mostly volunteers, they do it for fun. If you make someone accommodate your particular needs, I think you should offer some form of compensation beyond a gallon of fuel, (especially if you have no intention of joining the club they represent).

I hope you find what you need, but it may be best for you to learn at a time and place where you can spend more than 8 days learning. It takes time to train your brain to do this, but ALMOST ANYONE can learn to fly RC at some level if they really want to.

The rule of thumb I have heard from my instructors is that it takes between 90 and 120 minutes of ACTUAL FLIGHT TIME to solo. I often spent more than 5 hours at the field to get 15-20 minutes of stick-time AND I WAS GRATEFUL! (Bill Cosby reference.....sorry).

Good Luck and enjoy this fine hobby. We love it and you will too.

Dave trimmer,

Your MAAC card is good at any AMA field where the members understand that there is reciprocity. Anyone wishing to verify can check AMA document #911. You may wish to print it and take it along.

Good luck,

Ken

I would just like to say thankyou for all your input and say that I did find a great guy named skip down at a feild called Whittier Narrows air field. They were the best guys I have ever met. Skip helped me to get my engine going but couldn't due to fuel problems. he did let me fly his trainer with the trainer cord and since I did so great he let me fly his advanced plane (hell cat) which he did not have a second controler so I flew solo (I did not take off or land on either plane). I did hear someone say "D@#n thats his second flight and he's already on a warbird!" Later my trainer told me "I did not once took control of the plane except to land it." Mod-L-Mania was also a great hobby shop to go to for help.

If you go out there again, ask if any of them flew at San Clemente Ranch last winter. We had a group from there come down to a private ranch and fly for a day....ahem, not an AMA field, but 500 acres of private property with no inhabited area for miles.

I wonder if I met skip?

Glad you found a place to fly!! Those guys were great last winter too.