A lot of places have a clause that states "No instruction can be given in these aircraft" on the rental agreement. So unless you're an employee of the location, no instruction shall be given. The place I rented planes from in Phoenix did this. But at the place I work at now, it's not a problem. So it all depends upon the location.
:yeahthat:
We don't allow outside instruction for two main reasons at my operation.
First, it's an insurance/safety risk. Our insurance policy covers our instructors but not any old Joe off the street who has a CFI ticket. We have no idea how safe of an instructor they are. They might be a safe enough pilot to get a rental checkout, but that doesn't mean we consider them competent to teach. We have standardized policies and procedures for staff instructors, progress checks, a standardized syllabus, etc. all of which increase safety. We'd lose those advantages if we allowed outside instruction. Contrary to popular belief, not all instructors are created equally.
Second, it directly cuts in to our revenue. If a customer isn't using one of our instructors, obviously we aren't able to bill for instruction. That cuts the knees out from under our business plan. This is why even if a person is a rated pilot and is checked out in the plane themselves, but wants to get an instrument rating or other advanced training, they need to fly with our instructors. Our revenue doesn't come solely from the aircraft rental income.
Then there are a bunch of other issues to consider with outside instruction, such as our reputation as a school. If an outsider comes in and teaches bad habits, is a jerk on the radio, treats the line service workers lousy, or whatever the case might be, those things reflect on our reputation as a professional school. For a lot of people around the airport, all they see is a plane on the ramp and hear a tail number on the radio. Whatever impression they get of said aircraft reflects on the school as an organization. If it's a poor impression, how likely will they be to refer business to us?
Another issue could be the morale of our staff instructors, watching an outsider taking away business from them while they sit on the ground. Low morale damages all sorts of other areas.
The list could go on...see how it really opens up a can of worms?
In addition to what the previous poster said, getting flight instruction at no charge is usually a bad deal; your instructor has little motivation to provide you with good instruction when he's not getting paid. I've never seen this arrangement work out very well. Pay your instructor!
:yeahthat: :yeahthat: :yeahthat:
I have numerous stories to support this idea.
