Originally Posted by
Senior Skipper
Gesture of appreciation? Tradition? For all the things the good instructors have taught me that have saved my butt more than once, I don't mind buying them a meal every day!
...but then as a CFI, I'm biassed.
I think on your first cross country as a pre-private then that's alright, I did that. If you have the money as a student then go for it! But I don't think an instructor should expect it. I was only making $1000 a month working part time while going through flight school and that had to pay for rent, gas and my food. No way I could have afforded a meal for my instructor everytime we did a cross country.