Tipping for Tunnel Instructors?

[VTmotoMike08 0]

So, this is not in regard to this specific case but... I have seen an hour of coached time in the tunnel going for an extra $150- 200 above the cost of the time itself. My boss has a PhD in engineering and his hourly rate that he charges to clients is $175. Tunnel flying and coaching is also a skill but lets state the obvious and say that it is not nearly as hard or as demanding as working as a professional engineer.

That being said, there is no way I am tipping a guy who is charging that kind of coaching fee. First, I'm gonna try to find someone who would do it for less. Then, I am going to demand that for that kind of money, I also get a detailed "jump plan", his full attention on my flight and a video debrief and take home the DVD. Jesus Christ, for $200 I kinda think I should get a little more than any one person could give me in an hour to begin with.

I don't know how much of that goes to the tunnel and how much goes to him, but if he is not getting most of it then he needs to have a serious talk with his boss about charging reasonable rates.

I am really turned off by the tunnel because it costs so much.
(I have about 3.5 hours in various tunnels)

[AllisonH 0]

I have gotten tunnel coaching from several different people, and their coaching fees ranged from $25 for 20 minutes flying time to $50 for 15 minutes flying time. I ALWAYS felt like I got my money's worth, and every coach spent a significant amount of time teaching/dirt diving before the tunnel session, and debriefing afterward.

That said, I tipped the person on the low end of the price scale generously (partly because I thought he undercharged), and did not tip the person at the top end at all. Not because he didn't do a great job, he was fabulous and worth every penney, but because I felt he had already been paid fairly and I didn't have a lot of $$ left after paying for him and the tunnel time.

[NeedToJump 0]

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for $200 I kinda think I should get a little more than any one person could give me in an hour to begin with.

I am an active tunnel coach. When I coach an hour of tunnel time, I spend waaay more than an hour of my time. Is the the total amount of my time that I am charging for, not just the time spent in the tunnel.

It takes time to get to and from the tunnel. It generally takes anywhere from 30-60 minutes to brief depending on how many people are flying and what skills are being worked on. The debrief usually lasts at least as long as the tunnel session since we watch the video, pause it at points, talk about things, rewind, etc. When I coach a 15 minute block of tunnel time, it usually takes up about 2.5 hours of my time and live only live 4 miles from the tunnel. Coaches who live an hour away need 4.5 hours to coach a 15 minute block.

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Then, I am going to demand that for that kind of money, I also get a detailed "jump plan", his full attention on my flight and a video debrief and take home the DVD.

You should. If you are paying for coaching then this should be expected. You may have to bring your own DVD or buy one from the tunnel.

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Tunnel flying and coaching is also a skill but lets state the obvious and say that it is not nearly as hard or as demanding as working as a professional engineer.

Depends on the engineer. I work doing computer programming during the day and know a lot of engineers who also sit at a computer working. I consider tunnel coaching much harder and more demanding than sitting at my computer. I absolutely love doing it, but it can be a lot of work. My computer doesn't kick me in the face or land on top of me.


As for the topic of the thread - if I am charging for coaching I never expect a tip. I love getting tips and am extremely grateful when I do. I've been tipped anywhere from $5 to $100 for a single session and I appreciate all of it. To me, a tip says that my student got more than expected out of the session and felt that I went above and beyond. That's a nice feeling.

Wind Tunnel and Skydiving Coach http://www.ariperelman.com