Sorry, DB (and newbies) - that advice was meant for a totally flat-calm day. I didn't think when I posted. My favorite memory of this kind of playtime was a Sunday morning, flying with a buddy (ex-WWII Corsair pilot - really) with a low cloud ceiling. Go up, 'touch' the clouds, return, touch'n'go and do it at the other side of the field. With 2 of us doing it, it was a ball.....

Re: downwind landings - we were flying off a frozen lake with probably 10 mph wind........yeesh. Downwind takeoffs were at probably a zillion miles-per-hour or so and landings resulted in a 1/4 mile rollout. Don't try this at home!!!!!