On Tuesday, July 16, 2013 8:34:44 AM UTC-4, wrote:
On Tuesday, July 16, 2013 3:24:00 AM UTC-5, Tom Gardner wrote: On 16/07/13 04:21, Nicholas Giese wrote: Well, after years of being an armchair pilot in Condor, I've finally booked my first-ever soaring lesson for this weekend. If anyone has any general tips they'd like to pass along, I'll gladly listen! I'm sure the first flight will be very memorable. Two tips: 1. Read the darn book. If you show up for the lesson knowing that this is lesson one, that you will be doing how the controls work, but you've already read the book, you know how the controls work, you understand primary and secondary effects of the controls, and now you're there to put it in place in the air, you will be miles ahead of the game. Flying is for doing in the air things you understand on the ground. The same goes for the rest of your training. 2. Take charge early. You are doing more judgment training than flight training really. The instructor helps you to learn to fly, he or she does not really "teach you to fly."

I completely agree with BB with respect to reading the books.
One thing that really slows the training process is when basic knowledge like terminology has to be taught as part of the flying lesson.
Letting your instructor know you have some familiarity based upon some Condor experience will be useful. Don't expect everything you think you have learned to transfer.
Ask your instructor what you should do to prepare for your next lesson if he does not give you an assignment.
Dirty little secret- prepared students get extra attention and enthusiasm from their instructors.
Plan on flying regularly. This is the most important step to good progress after staying on top of teh academic portion.
And be prepared to have a bunch of fun in this new adventure.
UH