I'm excited. I have my first paid flight instruction gig!
 

I just had to share. It's gonna be cool :D

I hope you have a license and ratings!

Ummm- it's RC airplanes my friend ;)

:cool: I realized you weren't talkin full scale from your first post .

In fact , when I read your post , two very different thoughts crossed my mind ;

:D Now , since I'm an optimist , I'll share the happy first . I think it would be great to get paid to do something like teach RC flying . There are several already established RC flight school businesses doing that very thing right now (I see them advertise in the back of the AMA magazine , for example) and to be a paid RC instructor sounds like it would be a lot of fun ....

:mad: That is , right up until your student has a horrible accident (yes , i know , chances = 1 in a million , but then folks hit the lottery every day with those kind of odds , yes ?) and you as the paid instructor are fully liable for everything your student has caused ! I will not bore you with possible nightmare scenarios , but you'd best look into SOME kind of liability insurance if your gonna be a teacher for hire . It's a sad but true fact of our law suit happy culture these days that once you do something , ANYTHING , for hire , you are now required to financially protect yourself from the consequences of your paid students actions . Once money changes hands , your AMA insurance is null and void , and I'd bet my bottom dollar that every one of those established RC flight schools most certainly DO have a liability policy covering exactly what I just described . Yes I know , the chances truly ARE one in a million , kinda like the same as the chances of being hit by lightning ..... But then again , ya don't go runnin round a golfcourse wavin any metal golfclubs around in the rain , now do ya ??? ........

I hope it goes well for both of you.

:cool: Yep , I hope it goes well for them also .

Course , sometimes , being well Informed can really save the day as far as who is well and who isn't .

The OP would be well served by looking into the depth of his liability here ...........

Not to be a downer, but I agree with init4fun...Except the odds, I'd venture to guess the odds are much lower than one in a million.

I've witnessed two impacts with cars during flight instruction. Odd, but true.

Back when I started in R/C, offering to buy the instructor lunch was what was regarded as "payment" for services rendered. I don't think any price can be put on the smile that forms on the student's face as they grease their first landing with no other help except the experienced, reassuring voice of the instructor talking him down and congratulating him when the airplane rolls to a stop. It doesn't cost either one a cent except, perhaps lunch...

Thanks for the constructive advice, gang. I really didn't consider the legal / liability ramifications at all. Guess I'm going to have to think this over a little better before I commit!

I remember the first time I was asked to be an instructor. I was at the field flying by myself , one day after I had got off from work and a Dad and his son showed up and asked if I would help them. They had a trainer that was well built, a good radio and a desire to fly. I was only a few months from going to the same field and asking for help myself. Anyway, I got them up and going for a few flights with me landing for them. That situation just happened and I was only to happy to help. I was all. warm and fuzzy on the way home knowing that I had done something right for a good Dad and his son. Both of them went on to be treasured members of our club. Money couldn't buy that.

You could "Receive" a "Gift" from the person you are training. No cash....no foul.

That's exactly why I said what I did in the earlier post! Insurance can be a big issue.
There used to be some sort of AMA rules concerning instructors, etc. I've not re-read them recently, so I cannot comment further on them.

A good freind of mine used to be an instructor at the flying club, he did not get payed but just volunteered. Anyway, one day he was teaching this guy to fly and since the student had never flown before they were using a GWS Slow Stick. The student was bragging about how good he was as he made a couple of turns and loudly proclaimed how easy this was.

So to make a long stor short, and one of the funniest things I ever saw, the student, after about 20 minutes of flying in a circle decide he was a pro and asked if he could solo. My friend said "sure if you think you can handle it". So the guy took the plane off and did a passable job, got it up about 50 feet or so and then something went wrong.

The guy froze, the plane was fine, the guy simply froze and flew the Slow Stick straight into his belly at a good clip, fell on his butt, got a really embarassed look on his face and left. He never came back. The good news is the slow stick was fine and lived to train a lot of other would be RC pilots. I only wish I had a video.

I'm doing something wrong here!!!! I have been in the hobby for 25+ years,,,and taught over 500 people to fly,,,I never made a dime!!!!! Oh well, I help people to learn to fly because its fun, and I know people can use the help of someone who has done it for years.. Plus, it makes you feel good when you see a young man ripping through the sky with a 540, and you realize, you taught this kid what the elevator does!!!...I know,, I'm crazy, but I can't help it!! Instead of being the "Hotrod" that "Thinks" he is all that, ,,,,, just help the guy, the rewards are much higher!!!..trust me!!

Guess I'm in cublovers ball park. I'm one of three instructors in the club and teach regularly every week. Nary a dime for any of it. Not saying its wrong, I just get a lot out of it too. I fly OPP, other peoples planes. I did a maiden for a past student on his H9 P-47. That grin was there again, same as when he soloed. We got to fly warbirds together.
Edwin

Free instruction ... worth every penny?

If someone wants to pay for instruction, good luck to them:o. As a club instructor I get all the satisfaction from seeing my pupils pass the safety test.

I have trained many people and never once did compensation enter my mind. When I was taught 30+ years ago everyone one was willing to help and when you were able to solo it was just as much a great satisfaction for them as it was me. I still help anyone that asks for it and seeing a smile on their face is payment enough. Just keep in mind if their plane goes in they will most likely come back to you as to why you let their plane be destroyed.

Yep we all volunteer anytime someone wants to learn and no one has ever been paid. I have to agree with everyone that it is just fun to teach someone else to fly RC.

if i help someone ill never charge him i dont think it is right to do that

I paid for flying lessons and it suited me just fine.

For the money my instructor provided aircraft, fuel, buddy box etc, all I had to do was turn up! I went to the field before work, got an hours stick time and then straight on to work without even having to clean up. This way I got a lot of stick time that I would not have been able to do just flying weekends.

The other advantage was that if I had a lesson booked, I knew my instructor would turn up.

This was not a commercial operation, just a member of the club making a little extra money to fund his hobby, and at the same time helping people like me.

Thanks Noel!

Terry

I dont think any one schould charge to help someone this is a hobby

So is full-scale flight, for many a Private pilot. You advocate free instruction for those hobbyists as well?


And lol! Try telling that to a golf instructor! Or dance, or whatever hobby one might be pursuing.

I have 20+ years experience as an RC pilot, will insist on my students carrying AMA, will be flying MY equipment with a buddy-box setup at a sanctioned field. Who cares if I'm charging for my time, knowledge and materials? FWIW, people tend to value a service more if they are charged a small fee... and in a large metropolitan area such as mine, there are many people who might have an interest in learning, but have neither the ties to a club nor the will to go out and invest in all the necessary gear before they get their feet wet.

I'm certainly not ashamed to take my experience and skills and market them a little. And as far as the liability concerns go, well the sky is always falling at RCU it seems...

Bog = swamp. Beagle = dog. Swamp dog!


Swamp dog, if you paid for your instruction how would you tell the difference in the quality of it over free instruction? Serious question for you there.

Instructing is fun, but I tend to require the student provide ALL the stuff because I only have one radio and it is not always the brand of choice. The other reason is that then the student has made the initial investment and is interested in getting the most out of it. Too many "instructors" don't really teach as much as stay around and try to keep the newbie from trashing stuff the first day out. I have seen many "instructors" with out the ability or willingness to correct the student when the aircraft is at risk, violating the flying field rules, or getting too far away. The task of teaching is serious business and takes a consistent level headed approach that is planned for prior to the encounter with the student.

Someone talked about the students first landing, well I sneak that in on them and they never realize they have done it until after the flight unless I liked it so very much that we shot several touch and goes - which happens frequently because when it is right it is also time to continue. I cheat and do not teach take off's at all. If you instruct the reason for that should be obvious.

The plan of instruction should be straight and level, power on and power off turns, how to fly the pattern CONSISTENTLY, how to tell when you are lined up on the approach, how to climb out from the missed approach/touch and go, and how to flare. Oh I make them work very hard with slow flight followed by level figure 8's with the aircraft coming at them at the crossover point. I start them at 1/2 throttle and take it down a click every circuit until the plane will barely hang in the sky. Those are the skills they need and use. From observation (and emails from prior students) most of mine crash few planes as I have taught them all sorts of tricks about FLYING and how to use all control surfaces and tools available to them. Dead sticks while in the pattern are few and far between, but when I have a student who handles it without a word from me I disconnect the buddy box because he is DONE!

Now Swamp Dog, how much better than that did you get for your money? Before you answer, tell us all if you can land readily from either direction because I know my students can.

After that last post....I can solo...no need for more instruction. Now I can charge too!!!!!!!