Two steps back

Duuuuuude! I took nearly fifteen years off due to unforseen circumstances which turned into the normal situation. After retiring and finding I no longer had a purpose in life I decided to get back into R/C. I did it with an Extra 300 78" wingspan and a G-38 in the nose.
Now that will pucker your bunghole.
Took me about two weeks to get it all put together and all the shit installed and checked out. Ran the engine for days on the ground, rechecked everything a dozen times and finally decided it wasn't gonna fly itself.

Took it to the club field, got a buddy to check it all over for me, checked the balance for the twentieth time, fueled her up, started the engine and took that sucker off for one of the best times I ever had. I still remembered how and it was spectacular. Man that Extra would fly like nothing I had ever experienced. All I did was fly some BIG lazy circles for the first tank but after that I cut 'er loose and found out I could still do all the silliness I used to.

My point is, Don't give up. Fly your trainer until you get comfortable again and then move on up. It will come if you don't try to force it. Give yourself time to enjoy the sport and ease into it. Remember, this is for fun.

I started off hot and heavy. I was pretty good from the start (as far as first time flyers go). I didn't really have a crash until the day the guy that was teaching me left for FL for a month. He said I was fine and to just fly. I had just finished a Great Planes Big Stik .40. I had also just put a .60 2 stroke on it. It's just me and a Camodian friend at the field. I hit the throttle and it ran off the end of the runway. Our field in on a hill so I couldn't see it. I figured I could go get it or hit the throttle. I hit the throttle. Well out of nowhere she rises straight up from behind the rise (I don't think I had seen a hover at that point). It got about 30 feet off the ground (full throttle) and BANG! I didn't know what it was at the time but the muffler blew off. Now it's running funny but still running at full throttle. Now I'm a little shaken up, the plane is now running over the main road in front of the field...I was flying right OVER the road, I was either on high rates or the speed was making the plane extra responsive. I would try to use ailerons to go right and I would be upside down, the I would try the other way and I would be upside down again, my hands are shaking, I'm still right over the road and I am freaking out. My friend is yelling, in his accent, TURN LEFT, TURN RIGHT, TURN LEFT, TURN RIGHT! Well at this point I saw it go over the biggest tree on the horizon. I figured that was it and gave it full up elevator. It dissappeared for longer that it should have and then IT WAS BACK IN THE AIR! I handed the controls to my friend but it was a dead stick and went over a creek and broke up good in a corn field.
What I found was the landing gear next to a car (it hit in a park parking lot). Evidently I did an elevator to the ground, bent the alum gear all the way out, the gear sprung back into position and blew the plane back into the and breaking the prop at the same time.
Well that little incident freaked me out bad. I would start getting nervous a mile before I got to the field. My hands would shake. I was really afraid I might hurt someone. I was only a foot from hitting a car.
How did I get back on the horse? I bought a Zagi, no one I flew with thought this was cool. It didn't make me nervous and I could crash it. It taught me a lot about flying.
The next real plane after that was the Duck. It was a profile and when it was dialed in I trusted it completely. What really made my fear go away was using a flight sim every day. After working with G2 everyday I noticed my fear really went away.
And that is my story.

Well I wen to the field today! The good news is that I can still fly! The bad news is that I put my trainer in the dirt slightly nose first and now I got some work to do. Fortunately the damage isn't real bad. Here's what happened though...
I got home from work and loaded up the truck while I waited for my son to get out of school. When he got home we headed on out to the field and got set up. I had a little trouble at first with the cranky old O.S. LA .46 on my trainer because it had been sitting awhile but after a bit she fired on up. I sat the plane out towards the field and then proceeded to just do a bit of taxiing aroung getting a feel for everything and waiting for my jitters to settle. There was no wind, It was a perfect day for this. I lined the plane up down the center of the field , gave her some throttle and eased back on the elevator. She climbed on out but almost immediately wanted to bank to the right. I reacted a got the wings level. I got some altitude and started flying around in circles. Yes, circles. Remember I'm trying to get my legs back under me as far as flying. The plane wanted to climb so I needed to feed in some down trim. I still have a horrible time finding the trims without looking and that involves taking my eyes off the plane a split second. I did manage to get a little down clicked in without any mishap but the plane is still wanting to bank right unless I hold a little aileron to the left. No big deal I just kept it level and kept flying my slow easy circles. My nerves started to go away and I was feeling pretty good so I decided that it was time to try and trim the ailerons to get rid of that right bank. Uh oh had to look away from the plane again and that was the mistake. I got all out of shape and the thing starts to dive. I got too close to the ground but I managed to get it almost leveled out. At this point though I'm a little panicky and I cut the throttle . She sat down kind of hard into an area of plowed up dirt . I get over there and nothing looks to bad except for the fact that i now have an engine covered in dirt. I picked up the plane and started back towards the truck when I realized I was missing a wheel. I sat the plane back down and went to find the wheel. Maybe if I had seen it when I first picked up the plane I could have found it but by this time I've lost the place where the plane was so no luck.
Anyway, the nose gear got bent back pretty good and crushed some of the wood on the front lower part of the fuse. The side of the fuse is cracked away from the firewall a little on one side. Nothing that can't be fixed, the firewall still is good and solid. Main thing I know will be cleaning the engine. I'll definitely have to take it apart. I'll have to cut some covering away to repair the fuse. She won't be pretty but she will fly again.
I'm trying to look on the good side of things here and I learned some things. I can still fly. What I had learned so far didn't just disappear. There was a time when I first started that if the plane had banked to the right immediately after take off that I would have lost it right there. My reflexes were good and quick and I reacted well and leveled the plane. I did make an error in judgement by taking my eyes off the plane but when it got it out of shape I managed to right it and slow it enough to minimize the damage. Maybe I shouldn't have cut the throttle , I might could have goosed it and flown out of there but I panicked. Hard to say what would have happened.
I should have landed the plane and then addressed the trim issues. I'm just not experienced enough to be trying to find the trims and do a whole lot of that when I'm in the air, that should come with time and practice.
All in all, I actually feel ok for having crashed . I got to fly and at least the damage isn't serious. I appreciate the support form my bros and the fact that y'all take the time to read and respond. That helps a lot.
Thanks,
Michael