Many great comments and advice on this thread. This
article I found lays out a 4-step process for protecting one's self against liability. I summarized it in case you don't want to read it.
R -- Release: have a good one
I -- Insurance: have it
S -- Scrutinize: pay attention to details. Look carefully at the student, and follow a syllabus
C -- Care/Caution: Be precise, follow details, do the log book carefully
Anyway, I'm still thinking about instructing but I'm less excited about it than I was a few weeks ago! Maybe I need to find another way to give back that doesn't endanger the livelihood of me and my family.
Add one more thing to consider, if instructing in someone else's plane:
Inspect the aircraft AND it's logbooks, and perform a weight and balance.
I know of a VERY experienced flight instructor and DPE who did a flight test in a seaplane.
There was some sort of incident involving the owner of the plane later, and the FAA was involved.
They then went back to the flight test with the DPE and did some math. Apparently, it would have been impossible for those two gents to have LEGALLY flown that airplane within legal gross weight.
Note in the long story posted above in this thread that the airplane involved was not legal to fly. Either over gross or unairworthy can bite you big time.
I can't tell you how many pilots who've asked me to do a flight review or other instruction in an airplane which we could not legally fly with any gas aboard.
I was asked to do a SES add on once, and looked at the logbook. Airplane had never been signed off for the float installation. The owner had bought the plane on floats, and apparently didn't catch that. Installation was fine, but no logbook entry.....
I also agree with the assertion that we should all consider giving back. Do some checking around your area, I'll bet you'll have trouble finding a "qualified" tailwheel instructor, a CFI "qualified" in a particular aircraft type, etc.
One of the reasons I became a CFI was that I was chastised by a very experienced CFI, who pointed out to me that I'd had the privilege of flying with a number of very experienced pilots, in a lot of scenarios other than a paved runway. She suggested rather assertively that I owed it to other pilots to share some of that experience.
I've done that for years, because she was right, and she stopped short of hitting me with a stick till I agreed to work on the CFI. And, she was my instructor in that process. Thanks, Francie....
Many here have a lot of hard earned experience and knowledge. There are a lot of folks on this very forum who give a lot back, and I for one sincerely appreciate their willingness to share their knowledge and expertise.
I encourage you all to consider becoming a CFI and share some of that experience and knowledge with others. Take some basic precautions as discussed in this thread, and give something back to folks who may have no other source for the instruction that will make them a safer pilot.
MTV