The progression can happen very fast if you get a good sim and spend 15min to 1/2 hour on it a few days a week. To get better faster, spend even more time with the radio in your hands trying to accomplish something. Get the "Ultimate 3D" DVD and start to practice on the sim with a purpose. As you start to get a move down increase the weight of the aircraft and the sim speed to make it more challenging. If you have a place where you could fly a foamy regularly get one and do it. Again, fly trying to get better at something.

I am not saying that you should use the simulator or foamy as a substitute, but I am saying that if you practice trying to accomplish something on the sim and the foamy between your regular trips to the field you could see an improvement each time you visit the field. You will very quickly progress from feeling like a "tweener" to feeling confident with an all out 3D aircraft.

Also, do yourself a favor, don't spend a lot of time practicing 3D with planes that are not very suited for it if you have the opportunity to get something capable. 4 star 60's, Sticks and Something extras are somewhat capable of some stuff, but a good flying well powered 3D capable aircraft is a night and day difference. Guys ask me to fly their planes, and I do sometimes, but after flying something capable it is hard to get excited about something that is not.