Hello all,
I am interested in looking for a flying school.Yes i know that means that it wont be free.I was able to find a school in MY state of NY , but it's very far away8-10 hrs away. I was wondering if anyone knew of a school in perhaps CT,PA,NJ or perhaps the NE area... anyplace that might be closer than the other place.I have not seen any but i was wondering if such a place exists...
The school I found in NY was a good deal, except i cant get past the travel time.i mean if i can't find anything closer then i cant.
So if anyone here knows of such a place let me know perhaps a link to the place.
thanks..
Giguchan

Is there some problem finding an instructor at a club?

Best wishes,
Dave Olson

I don't know of any but would echo Scars post.
Why?
Most clubs offer free training and there are clubs all over the place.

Hello all,
Well at my club, there are way too many students and not enough instructors. when they DO show up most of the time they want to fly their own planes(I dont blame them either)
I bought my own BB because of the bickering, and all of the nonsense"who has the BB? i thought you had it, no i dont. i thought you had it, well i'm not going back home to get it... get the picture?
I dont have a problem in paying for lessons most people do.. i dont understand why.. perhpas they don't have to go through the same crap i've had to go through...
this is why i am looking for an alternative... I did find a school but it's very far away from me... if i have to drive 8-10hrs i will i was just looking for place where i can hire an instuctor at a field... away from where i go now...
i hate spending the whole day(as we all know it's a day project) loading the car and getting set up then to find out the instructor isn't coming(insert favorite excuse here) or waiting the whole day for your turn then to find out that he has to leave to go home(nagging wife on the cellphone calling to find out when he's leaving the field)or all 8 new students showing up at the same time....
it's frustrating.... so i figure that if i hire an instructor i will cut out all of the nonsense... I hope it works out that way....I have joined 2 clubs and believe it or not it's almost the same not as bad as the 2nd club but getting there...
i was just contacted by the instuctor of the school that i was interested , asking me if i was coming up there or not.... wish i had a full scale plane.... then i WOULD go...
thanks for listening...

we schedule appointments at my club,and they are made on first come first serve,if an instructor doesn't show or has to go early they set them in order of appointments and each instructor pulls the next student.i cant say what to do in your situation but you might want to look for another club to join in addition to the one you are it would be cheaper in the long run.I'm sure if you were a member of two clubs you should be able to fly at one or the other even odd days or something.that is a long drive and you are probably going to have to get up super early or stay overnight.might not work out so easy but just an idea.

Way to go giguchan!

There are many reasons for and benefits to be gained from learning R/C from a professional, full time instructor/school. The accelerated time to solo from using a professional informed approach to R/C instruction beats the frustration of begging ad hoc for a 10 minute 'lesson' a day for months at the fence, from a dozen different enthusiastic club 'instructors' each intent upon teaching you "their way". Of course, faith in their expertise is pretty well reflected in the invariable "all care, but no responsibility" accompanying if unspoken caveat, and by an attitude which ranges from the truly adept amateur through hopelessly inept or cavalier, which more often than not results in the whole process undermined and delayed by the experience and expense, your expense that is, of a broken model - or two - in the process.

The pros of going the paid pro and school route ordinarily outway any false objection cons in every respect, easily triaged as the most economic, quickest and certainly smartest R/C training route by anyone capable of rational thought and basic arithmetic. I heartily endorse and recommend it. Good luck with your quest.

Check out 1st us flight school www.rcflightschool.com very professional well respected and very afffordable when you figure the cost of a saved plane on down the road. Club instructors say you dont need professional training, crashes are part of learning to fly rc. etc. But learning proper technique from the start pays dividends in the future as you advance in rc.

Would be much cheaper to find another club with another instructor. I can't imagine that all clubs within 8 hours of your house are like this one...
Would definitely be cheaper to stay overnight, than to spend that kind of gas money every day, IMO--should you decide to go that route.

Just because you pay somebody doesn't mean that they are good teachers or teach the correct processes. Having been a full scale instructor pilot, I know this is true about some people.

editted for grammar

Read the info on David Scott at his website. He is a professional rc instructor and also a full scale pilot. Believe he competes in IAC competitions.

Seriously, what qualifies someone as a "professional rc instructor"? Is there an RC University (RCU) out there somewhere that has "certified" (by who?) instructors? Just because a guy is a world class pilot, does not "necessarily" mean he is a good teacher. There are a lot of very average pilots that are some of the best teachers due to their patience and attention to simple details.

I am a "inept" instructor I reckon, although as far as I know not a single of of my students has crashed during or after training until perhaps they decided to push the aerobatic envelope. There are about 1000:1 instructors out there that do a nice job of thoroughly preparing students for unassisted flight.

Giguchan, I understand your dilemma and why you are asking for professional help. It sounds to me like what you are really looking for is someone that will commit to take the time to train you. Its not quality training you lack, you just need someone who has the time to commit. If you can't find an instructor at a club, then going to a person who charges may be your only, albeit unfortunate, option.

Hello all
Thanks for ALL of replies....I will read and RE read them again.I think i understand why some think this is a good idea and why some are alittle skeptical.... Well i guess that some are that way, because for the longest time this has been a hobby that has always been taught for free.I understand why that is....but some times when time does not allow everyone to be there when you expect.... and when you look at the money we have all spent in the hobby, you would like to put the$$ to some good use and see a return on your investment.
again thank you for the replies.....please, i welcome any and all comments.....

In my world somebody who is making a living by working within a certain profession is a "professional".
An "amateur" is someone who does it for the fun/love of it.
It is probably best to distinguish between "professional" and "certified".

/Red B.

here's a tip that has so far worked for me get your training from a club member , when you can , for free, from your club or join another one ,many of my club members belong to several for allot of reasons . get a quality simulator I have the G-3 but there are several that are great and get your" stick time" there . today I flew for the first time in a while just been busy but have been hitting the sim almost every night what a difference it has made in my flying there was a confidence that only practice can give, a little bit goes a long way a good sim is 200$ ( just spoiled myself and got some add-ons for another 100$) the sim was the best money I have spent other than my planes . half the learning process is having the transmitter in your hands and getting used to what the stick inputs do and after you crash you hit the restart button instead of the rebuild table.

Bigtim's right, the simulator helps you get a lot of the mistakes out of the way without risking your plane. This spring, a student called, he had contacted our club president in October. They decided he should practice on the sim through the winter, and bring a plane out in the spring. He did that, and had about a hundred hours on the simulator logged, before trying the plane. He made a decent landing on his second flight with the trainer, and was on his own right away.

You still have time this summer to get to know an instructor or two, and pick one to work with. I suggest you ask around until you find one who will work with you on a schedule. I've decided I can work on a schedule, and will work with students on Mondays or Wednesdays to the exclusion of flying my own. That leaves me the rest of the week to fly my own planes. Find an instructor you like, and see what schedule works for him, and I think that's the best arrangement you can make.

If you find a pro, let us know where and how it went. Good luck,
Dave Olson

BigTim and Scar are right on with the Sim. Get AFPD or G3 and learn to fly sitting at your PC. If you are thorough, it will make the real thing much easier and your training time will be cut to a fraction. Simulators make all the difference in the world, but you have to use them.


As far as this,,
From a purely factual point of view, I agree somewhat. Typically, other than sports, a person is deemed "professional" after they have earned an education and a sheepskin from an accredited university or graduate program.
From a practical point of view, I dont know. I think that when it comes to RC, anyone can give themselves the title of "professional" and open a business. There is no real governing agency or benchmark to validate what would really qualify the title of professional. I am not saying that an instructor that has a full time business will not do a good job, but there is a GREAT likelihood that his ability to instruct will not be any more efficient or effective than a certified or even a volunteer instructor at a local club, AND he has just "decided" to take a stab at making a living by charging a fee and calling himself a pro. That is something that thousands of great pilots all over the world could legitimately do if they took the notion.

As an "unpaid" instructor I've followed this thread with some interest. I have a few comments and observations on the subject. First of all, I don't consider myself to be the best pilot or instructor out there, but I do feel that I am competant enough to teach people the basics they need to successfully fly a RC airplane. Would I ever accept money for teaching somebody?? Not a snowball's chance in heck!!! If I started charging money then it wouldn't be a hobby anymore, it would be a job. I've been teaching for approximately 6 years now and have trained more students than I care to count.

If I understand you correctly you are looking for a RC school because you have trouble waiting for the instructors at your field during training days. I think that you have already found that any dedicated RC school is going to require some travel on your part. But there are a few alternatives to traveling to a school. First of which would be to call your local hobby shops. Many hobby shops that I have found will train students for a fee. With this fee you get the instructor exclusively training you, and only you, during the time you are at the field. If they don't have somebody on staff that can train you they will more than likely know of somebody who will. Pick up the phone and call around to all the hobby shops in your area and see what you can find. The second option you have is to contact the free instructors at your club and discuss your situation with them. Maybe they will be able to meet you at the field at an alternate time to train you. Most good instructors that I have met will make an effort to helps students at different times. I know I have adjusted my schedule for students before in the past. I normally train on saturday and sundays, but I have gone out during the week to help a student that couldn't make it on the weekends. So call the instructors and see if they can help you out.

Ken

The guys at the club I joined, gave me a plane to repair, engine and radio AND their time on the buddy box. I understand the frustration of not being able to fly exactly when you want to BUT I did get in 8-10 flights on the buddy box in the span of about 3 weeks. Three days ago one of my instructors said "I'll take off and then hand you the box, you're ready" and boom, I solo'd that day. This was 1 month after starting the repairs on the trainer and I will run for another week or so on my fiorsst gallon of fuel. I am grateful to have been lucky enough to find the right club!

InIt4MyBoys,
Well now, a solo'ed pilot. That deserves a pat on the back!!!!

A solo flight is a great accomplishment and that wins you one genuine RCU ATTABOY (Suitable for framing, wrapping fish, or lining trashcans).

Ken

Hello giguchan! Whereabouts on LI are you from? I am a member of the Suffolk Falcons. Our field is located in very close proximity to the airport in Westhampton Beach. We have helped many people to learn how to fly r/c over the years, always for free. I'm sure something could be worked out, if you are serious.

It is sounds like what you are saying is that there is no training for club instructors or any certification from AMA for becoming an instructor. Just whomever in the club wants to instruct new pilots. You say anyone can call themselves a professional. I suppose that would go for professional airplane builders, TOC pilots and the like then?

You know, I used to live in Long Island about 15 years ago. I wanted to learn to fly RC in the worst way. I kept showing up at a park in Wantagh I think it was but nobody would give me the time of day. So I did not fly RC until I moved to Pennsylvania. Here, I found many clubs willing to teach me and I joined one and solo'd in 3 days and never looked back. Now I am an instructor at our club (one of six) and I really enjoy teaching. Not only because I feel that I am giving back but because instruction has made me a better pilot.

Giguchan, if you want to come to Pa, I would be glad to help you out. Free. You can fly as a guest (must have AMA card) 3 times. Or $50.00 to join if you wanted to. Our club website is www.tcws.org. I know it is a long way but you did mention PA in your post. But I really think you should try and find a club closer to you.

Good luck whatever you do.
Jim

I agree with what you said, Mike.

I think the best of all options is to find someone you can do this with, one on one on a friendship basis. That is what I did. My instructor was friendly, always there when we planned, and he really knew the most important thing- when to not say anything and let me make mistakes. I don't care how good the instructor is, you are going to bang up your first plane some. Maybe not at his 'school', but it is normal as you progress. You can't teach it all in one weekend. There is no way you can experience winds, mistakes, curves thrown your way, bad days, etc. It takes a lot of trips out to the field. Plus, you learn how to crank over that period of time, how to diagnose simple things, simple repairs, etc. Nobody will be that good with a few sessions at a flying school. That is just the way it is.

There are benefits from learning from one instructor. There are benefits from learning from several. The bad thing is that you pick up his/their bad habits. Also, egos get involved no matter how much anyone tries to be mature and avoid it. So, saying all of that, I would suggest sticking with one instructor until you are flying on your own and then start asking around for tips. That is the only way you have a chance to filter the b.s. from the good stuff.

Just received my Model Airplane Mag today and David Scott, 1st USFlight School is endorsing products for Great planes for their simulator and also for Hangar 9s PTS P51. Mike does that deem him at least somewhat professional in your eyes. I would think that these companies would have at least checked him out before allowing an endorsement from him. I know pro atheletes are not always what they seem on the surface but at least you have to admit he is not some fly by night huckster.

Hello all,
thank you for ALL of the replies and ALL of the great ideas .I will take all of your suggestion and weigh them all out... I will most likely continue with the sim, fly at my field(and others)and yes use a paid instructor... pro or not... I know some of you dont like the idea of using one , but when i feel that i'm not getting enough stick time then i will enlist the services of a paid instuctor.I received some of the best advice that one in my situation could hope for and i thank you all for your input.

I wont be using PI(PAID INSTRUCTOR)all the time-just when i think i need some more intense help (ex. too many crashes on the sim)
or when a new maneuver proves to be too much for me...I will continue to watch this thread and see if any new ideas surface...
thanks again..