OK... I'm doing the wheel & deal thing with a new friend... and he drops the bombshell:
Concept 30, rtf, with radio w/new os 32. Too good a deal to pass up. Uh-huh... sure.

I try to remain aloof, and remember that I fly airplanes, not helis....
but the darn thing just keeps calling my name. I couldn't stop talking or thinking
about it, even though I told myself and my wife, "no way."
So of course I got the doggone thing.
Well, I leave it be for a couple days... thinking I'll sell it and turn a quick buck.
Then I say, "what's the harm in just cranking the engine... make sure it's ok."

Of course the afterrun oil has wasted the plug, and it won't stay running... it's off to LHS.
Before I can understand what's happening, I've bought a set of training gear,
a couple of OS-8 plugs, some fuel, and a long reach glow-plug wrench and ni-starter.
The car scarcely gets stopped in my driveway before I'm inside attaching dowels and such.
They're "just in case. I'm not really gonna try to hover this thing", I say.

We're outside, front yard now... it's running... sounding really sweet.
I have to rev it up a bit, right? Make sure it transitions smoothly, and remains running.
I mean... I hate to sell something, if I don't know what kind of shape it's in.
So I advance the throttle a bit at a time, sort of like a mouse edging closer to the cheese.
The blades pick up speed... the gear reflexes as the heli gets lighter...
I can see the effects of left/right/fore/aft cyclic... and the rudder gently pushes the tail.
SNAP! The trap's set, and I'm caught. It's off the ground, and I'm 6" hovering... kindof.

Quickly I kill the throttle, intending fully to take it inside now that the engine showed fine.
Hmmm... smooth throttle, up she goes, smoother this time. I ease it down from a foot high.

I spot the "idle up" switch... so of course I have to try it. The blades come alive,
the heli sounds sweet, but isn't going anywhere. Real cool.
I push the left stick forward to the original spot where it barely broke ground, and
the little Concept LEAPS into the air to a height of about 8 feet, before I catch it.
Oh. My. Gawd. We're all gonna die!

Somehow, I manage to keep it out of the tree overhead, and off the shrubs and house. (THANKS, FMS!!!)
I ease back on the left stick, manage to keep the main rotor level with the right, though
I'm not doing so hot with the tail... she's almost nose-in to me, but I'm ok for now.
I kill the idle-up and barely catch the left stick in time, as it heads earthward.
Whoosh! up again, but I quickly ease the stick back down, and it stops, then starts to settle.
Just before it touches, I feed in a tiny bit of throttle and it settles nice and square.

Finally, my knees stop shaking, and I de-fuel and take it all inside.
I decide to read all about this little heli, and helis in general.
Ok, so now I know what idle-up is for, and it ain't necessarily for regular hovering
I found out what revo, throttle hold, and all the other radio functions were, too.
(It's an *old* Circus-Circus Apollo non-computer radio... but it all still works)
I go back outside and kinda/sorta hover out another tankful of fuel... no knee-knock.

So... is it too late for me?
Can I sell this thing and run far, far away?
If not, I'm off to the field tomorrow... my yard SUCKS

It's all Pugsley's fault.