I started out somewhat the same. Had a car and one day it was nice and calm out. My buddy (we used to fly control line Coxes in high school) said, "we should get a plane!" It had been a while since we had flown, but we could afford it much better than when we were kids. I got a four channel, 40 sized trainer and promptly tent-pegged it. I didn't have a simulator at the time, I'm also a long distance from the nearest field/instructor, so I got a park flyer and put an .049 on it. This was slow enough to allow me to react and get familiar with the aileron/elevator stick. It was also light enough to avoid heavy damage upon impact. After I felt comfortable with it I went back to my repaired trainer. Eureka! This time when I took off, I knew what to do and was able to solo on my own! [8D] Ross