Don't conduct a flying exercise without effective pre- and post-flight briefings.
Of course you will already be planning this, but your ideals can take a bashing in day to day operations when managers hustle you to keep airplanes flying. Resist at all costs.
"Effective" means, among many other desiderata, that the flying has been planned, and mutually understood, to meet the student's present learning needs, not merely to tick off a syllabus item. That means you must know as much as you can about them, the progress they have made to date, and what exact issues, goals or obstacles are germane to them specifically.
Steer the student's skills and knowledge from the known to the unknown. Otherwise they will reach neither destination.
Let them make mistakes. Essentially, they are teaching themselves, with you along for safety, and the very occasional intervention.
Be on time.
Brush your teeth and carry some mints in your pocket. The cockpit is a small place.
Force them to make decisions. They need as much practice in that vital piloting skill as possible. Bite your lip and say nothing as they head for a wall of cloud. One or two close shaves and they will get the idea.
Above all, keep your hands and feet away from the controls as much as possible. They will learn to fly mainly by flying, not by marvelling at your own skills all day. When you do fly 'hands on' though, be sure your flying is impeccable. Learning by example has far more impact than learning by being told things.
Your job is to impart knowledge, skills, and attitudes. The latter is no less important than the others.
Don't fly for more than 45 minutes or so without giving them a break. Take the controls, tell them to rest. Point out the beauty of the clouds and the landscapes. Don't be afraid to use words like 'joy' and 'wonderful' and to remind them why we all were attracted to the practice of flight. Encourage those feelings, it will get them through difficult times later.
Make sure the front window is clean.
The very fact that you have posted here looking for input shows that you already have an excellent attitude. Frankly, you're way ahead of the pack. Keep it up.
There are many delights to be had in instructing. Savor them. Good luck.
Last edited by justanotherflyer; 10th Jun 2009 at 16:42.
Reason: Grammatical polishing...