[jrh]

If it's an average Joe who doesn't know anything about flying, I say rent for the private license, then buy a plane for instrument training and time building, once they are certain they like flying and have a better idea of how a plane will fit in to their life.

If he's absolutely sure this flying thing is what he wants to do and--here is the key--he has a good mentor like yourself to help him select a plane--then I say buy it from Day 1. I think owning a plane for training is awesome, but there are also a lot of pitfalls if a person doesn't either know what they're doing or have good guidance when getting their first set of wings.

Also, my professional advice is to be careful what you offer him in the way of free instruction. I'm sure he's a good friend, but teaching someone from start to finish is a big committment that will take a lot of time. You might regret it later if you follow through with doing it all for free. It sounds all nice and cheery until one day you've had a long day at work, all you want to do is go home and relax, but instead you have to spend a couple more hours at the airport helping your friend perfect his landing flare...all for free.

Doing a free flight review or insurance checkout or something like that is no big deal, I just think an entire rating for free has the potential to put a real strain on the friendship. At least it could for me. Good fences make good neighbors, ya know?