Why do I get the "here we go again" feeling!!!!
Checkouts do fall into two categories. The first one is the initial check out where club rules and regs would be explained. The second one would obviously be the proficiency check of which there are reams of argument on here about!
I've got to take a bit of exception to your point 1 Fuji. Most clubs will have a Flying Order Book with all relevant info in it. You generally can't expect people to memorise stuff from a pre-flight brief, I would expect the FOB to be have been read and digested BEFORE someone comes in for a checkout.
I don't know any clubs without an FOB and most have the ability to send you a copy electronically, so there is no reason not to have read it.
The onus is on the person wishing to hire the aircraft to ensure they are au fait with the "rules". Hopefully the checkout should be just that. A check not a training flight. Hard to do if the person being checked hasn't done any homework!
There is a need for both parties to make eachother welcome. The new member should ask questions about how a club works and the club should make them feel welcome and try and pass on as much info as possible.
Just because all questions or possibilities aren't dealt with on a first visit doesn't make a club a bad one. It takes time to build up a relationship in both directions and no-one is perfect. As long as the major things are dealt with and you feel comfortable and welcome, there is plenty of time to sort out the minutiae as time goes on, especially on those crappy days when there is nothing to do but drink coffee and talk nonsense about flying!
Last edited by Say again s l o w l y; 22nd Sep 2008 at 23:27.