RE: Any positive tips on self teaching on .40 trainer
Read all of the stuff above -- read it again.
Find a place with LOTS of space around it that is free of buildings, trees, powerlines, & most importantly, PEOPLE.
The plane is always farther away than you think, particularly if/when it goes down.
It is most likely going much faster than you think -- except in the case of turns during a landing approach -- then it is going much more slowly than you think.
Save your pennies -- you wiil need them
Have fun