Long break

[yurik]

I haven't flown since April 2012. I was an RAAA member. Before that I had been doing some hang gliding [(HG) about 120 hrs at the age of about 50 yo]; tried a powered harness for HG; then converted to powered hang gliding [ a Pegasus-2 came up at a good price]. Therein another ~120 hrs. Then a Parker Teenie-2 came to my attention. It appeared to be brand new with a few test flights; not yet registered.

So I started to learn to fly 3-axis aircraft. That license was acquired at 65 yo. Taxiing a Jabiru was tricky: left foot forward - left turn! Opposite to trike or bike! Then final approach and touch-down timing/speed - very sensitive. All the appropriate info was in the head, but not - the fingertips!!! Positive constructive feedback would've helped from the instructor . [The constructive components were missing. Mainly: "do as I do" approach, which reminded me of my first parallel down-hill skiing lesson: "pretend to be a train doing a sharp turn"]. So, I changed my flight instructor, but kept to the same touchy training aircraft - Jabiru. Success! Got my license. Now to clock up self-training [twds proficiency] hrs. But the Teenie -2 was not yet registered!

Although it hand-prop-started easily, T-2's electric generater/charger was not operational. It would have conked-out as soon as the motor-bike size battery went flat; no sparks for the 8 plugs of the 4-cyl VW 1760 cc engine. Wrong wiring; ... got fixed. All OK. Registration done. Now to fly!!

[facthunter]

Do as I do is not enough. Just pretend you are putting the brake on for that side. The same thing works in the air where you press it and the rudder comes forward on it's bellcrank. It's anti intuitive at first depending on what you are used to . I used to ride Ball raced billycarts that steer the opposite way. My first tail up efforts on a Chipmunk were all over the place.. Nev