Not sure how others run the trial lessons, BEagle, but I am left to decide for myself and choose to let the student fly nearly all the flight, unless there is a passenger feeling ill (I can fly more smoothly and in balance, most of the time
). As well as enjoying the trip I want my students to feel they have been the pilot. Not only are they more likely to come back or send us other business, but they feel more positive towards aviation, feelings we all rely on in these times of complaints and campaigning. Anyway, this means that although the brief is shorter and simpler the actual flight is much harder work for me! I always feel tired after a whole day of trial lessons.
Neither of the clubs that I work for fit Mr Magoo's suggestion of poor maintenance, late flights, smells of vomit or knackered old aircraft either! They are the only two clubs down here, and I have never done any club flying in the UK so I have little to compare them with and perhaps we are unusual.
I'm beginning to feel rather lucky, as the bosses complain if the reception staff (some of whom are just young lads who are working to fly) accidentally book a lesson in a slot less than an hour longer than the flight, unless it is a trial lesson which is in a slot "time plus half an hour" as the brief is shorter.