Lets se what NewBies think of some Instructors

While some may be better then others... Using the term pathetic to describe someone who gives their time freely to help others might be a little harsh.

The pathetics instructor is the one who been commited to teach you don't take the time to do so.

Would this by any chance be in response to another thread 'Pathetic Student'?

Instructors and students alike all come with differering abilities, but although instructors have varying abilities and styles, I wouldn't describe any that I know of as pathetic....

I'm far from a 'NewBie' but can I play too?

I retired from instructing several years ago, I was burned out (see "Instructor Burnout" thread on news archives like google). I'd just had enough of the latest gerneration who didn't seem to want to invest the time to learn. I'd take great pains to show them how to fix/adjust their planes, I'd even offer my phone#, a workbench and some of my building time to help... I repaired their planes....

Next session: same problems (trim out, missing mount bolts etc. etc.).
What's worse, I'd get badmouthed when I went for a flight on my own aircraft. It got to the point that I started flying at other clubs to avoid the situation and get some of my own sticktime.

So, I quit instructing for a few years. Few of the latest crop of students realize I'm an instructor and I'm gently easing back into instructing... but just occasionally. That way when I show up to practice for a contest on Sunday, I'm not the first choice to jump all over for not "meeting their training milestones" on their "training contract" with the club.

Generally, if you're pleasant, heed my advice, and are genuinely interested in learning, you find yourself getting a lot of stick time from me. Otherwise, you'll find me otherwise distracted when your turn comes up.....

You want good instructors? Don't burn them out. Take their advice and follow it. Show some appreciation, a simple thank-you will suffice (but a cold drink once in a while wouldn't hurt), and give them some time to fly for fun, you might learn something if you watch them fly something other than a trainer.....

As a relative nubee that close to solo I would not call an instructor pathetic when they are available, and willing to instruct you even when it cuts into their flying time. I have been training with 3 different instructors and each and everyone has provided good instruction. The different instruction methods and view points from each has been more than helpful. It is however a two way street. If you commit to be at the field at a certain time BE THERE AND READY TO FLY. Don' go to the field unprepared. I also don't expect my instructors to fly with me back to back to back. Instead I will often tell them that I need a break even if I don't, giving them time to fly their own stuff or sit and BS or what ever. Trainer nights are the only exception, because that is the time that is set aside for me. The bottom line is instructors are volunteers and should be commended for their commitment to the hobby!

I think there is a big difference between real instructors and those who think they're instructors. A few years ago, my son and I had the latter, so we were forced to learn on our own. We couldn't stand to listen to this "instructor" who couldn't fly his way out of a brown paper bag while we were repairing damages.

As for real instructors... If they know what they're doing and know what they're talking about, then I don't think they would ever be considered pathetic.

Rick - AE9D

I have only met one instructor out of dozens I know that I'd consider pathetic. He wasn't a bad pilot, nor was he an exceptional pilot, but he was filled with a lot of BS, talked himself up a lot. He broke club rules and was finally urged to leave the club which he did. IMO He was more interested in selling his used stuff to newbies than teaching AND he charged $ for teaching. He is the only instructor I know that charges for services.** Now I don't have a problem with making money from RC, but this guy was just too much. I consider him a disgrace to the hobby.

But take note: There are very few hobbies/sports where you will find free instruction. The number of RC pilots willing to teach newcomers the ropes for free speaks volumes about this hobby and our passion for it. You won't find the local golf course giving free lessons until you can shoot par. Most RC Pilot instructors will hang in there until you can solo.

Every instructor is a little different, they all have different styles, different personalities, etc. Some may have a rigid set teaching plan, while others are laid back. Some like myself are really only interested in helping teach aerobatics and I avoid teaching the basics before solo flight. I let another instructor do that.

The key is to find an instructor you click well with. If your style and the instructors style don't mesh well, find a new instructor.

**To all the beginners, most instructors don't expect any compensation other than seeing the smile on your face during your first solo. However, I haven't met an instructor yet that didn't turn down a steak dinner. My point, if you are pleased with your instructors services, be sure to let them know how much you appreciate what they are doing for the hobby and more specifically what they did for you. A thank-you is enough, but I like steak dinners too.

Cheers.

ok maybe pathetic is harsh but my old club instructor

i had been flying for at least 7 months at the time, i was a good flyer but they would never trust me to land the model even when i had solo'd already with an electric trainer, ok i know electric trainers are somewot easier but still. He had to remove the tranny from me every minute to level it out when i was doing fine and give me the tranny back. Once i had a different instructor as mine was ill and he took me up and i got 12 mins flight time ALL ON MY OWN. Several weeks later i decide to try my first built model and i took it to the field with me. After umpteen cricisms about vitually everything. I take it home, this expert modeller i know who didnt goto that club offered to look at it and do it up. From at least 15 mistakes the club pointed out he only corrected 2 as all the others were so insignificant it wouldnthave affected flight at all. Ok i know some people will say that he didnt want to crash it or anything but one of the problems was that my exhaust didnt have a gasket! Another being that my plane didnt have a tail wheel even when the plan didnt call for one. Oh and not forgetting the U/C was ever so slightly offset even when the model could have been hand launched. Anyway 2 weeks later sees me back at the field, they make no mention to the previous mistakes. They take me up, brillient take off but the rudder would not respond fast enough after accidently going into a spiral dive. I go home fix it back up, appear next month. What do i hear my instructor saying to his friend as im walking past him to the pits?

"oh good not that flying disaster again, last time i flew that the rudder locked off to the left and went into a spiral dive, god i hope he doesnt want me to fly that again"

due to bird-shooters suddenly appearing over the horizon we couldnt fly anymore, disturbed by the sick sites i was seeing i left the site

for the first crash, i dont blame my instructor at all but he is surely a pathetic instructor

oh and for my plane? At my new club we got straight off and we had a fantastic flight, no problems apart from just a bit aft CG

now when my instructor takes me up, he realises my ability to fly competently and he usually wanders off to the pits to fuel his models back up and chat to friends. Some people might call this dangerous but i am very happy with this as he doesnt smother me and my controls. Im going to be going solo very soon methinks

just my 2 cents

As an instructor who has given countless amounts of my own time (to the absolute demise of flying competetion IMAC last year) it is one thing that is always a labor of love. The joy of seeing a person solo and go on to fly well is such a joy. Some appreciate it and some don't. Every instructor is different as well as the students. This is life true and simple.

EXCAP232

i agree

overall i find most instructors to be helpful people that maybe sometimes do get a little tired of watching new people fly rather than fly themselves. A possible solution would be to have a lot more instructors in a club, maybe enough to have 1 student to an instructor which would obviously increase communication between student and instructor and also take the huge load of instructors, of course, having say half the club try and get thier instructors certificate and let alone get them interested is a task which would be almost unthinkable?

The first time I walked onto an RC field I approached the first guy I saw and asked him how do I get in this sport. He told me go buy a plane and I'll teach. So the following week I showed up with my Avistar and we began. Every once in awhile he would yell " Gentle, gentle with the sticks" when I'd jerk the plane around and I thought to myself "geez this is like having my dad here to yell at me". Well since then he has become a good freind and mentor. We talk almost daily and he's always there when I need help with something. Last year I lost my father to cancer and having him around has softened the loss. His name is Bob and so is mine, club members have started to call me Bob Jr. I take that name with pride.

Myself and a friend learned from the same instructor, we made it a point to be thankful, listen, and we chipped in with a tower hobbies gift certificate, gotta appreciate somone taking the time to help you.

Another guy helped us with covering, we got him a big pack of exacto blades as well.

Always be thankful, and this goes for everything, not just instructors.

Mill

There are good and there are bad instructors (as there are spellers!), but I don't think there are pathetic ones.

The fact that they are there, even bad ones, means that that they are not pathetic in the true sense.

-David C.

I disagree with that. The bad ones are pathetic because they believe they can render good instruction. Its bad for the club and bad for the newbie, everyone loses which makes it pathetic.

I guess I should chime in on this topic. I have been flying now for about 2 and half years. My schedule was such that I couldn’t make the Sunday morning training sessions (I attend church) or the Tuesday evening sessions due to work. If it wasn’t for the selflessness of members at the field I fly at I probably would still not be soloed. One in particular is retired, but took time out during one of my lunch breaks to solo me. Though there are some bad apples in the bunch, there are many, many more good apples out there that donate their time and sometimes money to help others learn to fly.

Let’s close this thread and put this topic to bed.

Lee

amen!

I have been giving instruction for many years, have had a great time! Most students given a chance will give you pride in what you have done when they SOLO. In all the time I ;have been flying there are some that all they want to do is fly some one elses plane then make excuses! I started this thread for NewBie response . Getting great support from both Instuctors and NewBies. If you think It has gone far enough OK , maybe that is what happens when an instructor stick a plane in the ground , and tell the Boy or Girl sorry It Happens.

If its really about bringing people into the hobby, then EVERY instructor should read this thread and EVERY new or relatively new student should post here.

1) Great pilot DOES NOT EQUAL great instructor

My favorite instructor at our club was probably the 5th best pilot out of the 5 instructors.

2) Hazing is bad.

Maybe after six or eight WEEKS some truly good natured ribbing is ok, but during my second flying session the instructor told me the gromments holding my ailerons in were in upside down. Everyone thought that was hugely funny. I was packing up my stuff to go home and fix it when someone finally said that it wouldn't affect flight. back then I had no clue as to whether it was critical or cosmetic. And I still haven't changed them!

3) Discuss where the student is (in terms of skill) and what he should be doing to get better.

After my first couple of flights, some of the instructors would take-off, say "You got it" and then let me wander around till my timer went off and they had to land. No feedback.

4) Be upfront about availability.

If you don't tell me you want to fly yourself, am I supposed to figure it out by telepathy. If I am not PAYING you, then I don't expect you to spend four solid hours wiping my nose.

5) Talk to me like an adult.

I get really sick and tired of hearing all the instructors on these boards griping about pathetic students, blah blah blah, but you never once hear them say they sat the guy down and actually talked to him. Its really hard being an otherwise competent adult and being absolutely terrified of doing something wrong. I wasted two whole flying sessions last summer because I had lost confidence due to a couple of minor crashes. If the instructor had noticed I was piddling around and avoiding flying and asked what was up (preferably with some story about how nervous he had been after something had happened to him), I would have been so relieved.

So, I think the worst instructors are the ones who can't put themselves in the place of the student! After flying for years, and building and fixing, it all becomes very second nature. That's not true for a newbie. I would bet you that most instructor frustration boils down to the student not progressing fast enough. Of course, no one can say what fast enough is.

In the end, its about teaching, not about flying, and that's why there are indeed, bad instructors.

We have a few good ones here but a couple who are idiots. There are flying field rules and proper pattern technique. Not just zipping around everywhere.

This has been an interesting read. Obviously there are some 'perspectives' from both sides of the line.

I've often been chastised by my fellow instructors for waxing too philosophic, that's ok, as long as the students find it useful.

As has already been voiced on the related thread, Communication is key.... and the onus is not just on the instructor to communicate.
Using the previous example, If you're feeling gun-shy, let me know... I was probably pre-occupied with another student during your previous mishaps...

What's more, don't be too uptight, a little ribbing is a good way to let someone know they're being adopted into the fraternity.

And yes, even though your instructor is quite capable, crashes will still happen, especially when you start doing your own low work, there is very little time to make a save on approach. When this happens it's a very awkward time and it's hard to know what to say or how to say it. I had one student physically threaten me a few years back when he failed to recover his own plane during his wings test.

Very good comments. I think ,as an instructor, it's very easy to forget the hardships of when we were learning to fly (and always are learning). The fact remains that if we do not encourage neebees as you like to call them, we will not have a hobbie to worry about. I am not the best instructor or pilot but I will always help IF ASKED. I would not advise any instructor to dwell on the negatives to much at the beginning but as it was stated there are so many different teaching methods and students you have to get the chemistry and trust between both. My 2 cents

You have to be careful when it comes to ribbing though. Just because you think it's all in good fun the person on the other end may not think so. It's a fine line that is easily crossed.

That's a good point.... that gets back to communication.