Good words there Down!

You got me to thinking....

I've used a similar analogy. I tell folks it's like standing on top of a big ball. Once you get at the balance point it's a lot easier, but still requires minor adjustments to STAY on top or else you fall.

The biggest problem I had when learning to hover was to finally get the throttle managed. It doesn't take full throttle to hover usually. I've even had my 9 year old son hovering all kinds of planes on my sim (Aerofly Pro) as long as I manage the left stick. You're right... that's where you make or break your hover.

Another thing... I've found myself staring at the fuselage between the canopy and the prop while hovering. For me it just seems to be the best thing to look at. For kicks, next time you're hovering a foamie try focusing somewhere totally different on your plane and see if you can still fly it. I've tried hovering down and knocking over a bottle before and while I was doing it I would look at the rudder, and could never do it. Then I started focusing back on my usual spot and let my peripheral vision work for bringing to the bottle. PERFECT!!!