This story is titled " Live and Never learn"

Saturday morning I finally got 2 flights on the Great Lakes Bipe. The first lasted about 1 second and the second about 10 minutes. The plane didn't fly as poorly as I expected and one flight is certainly not enough for conclusions, but I certainly can't recommend it. It's a challenge that may become easier as I get more flights on it. If your not pretty comfortable at flying almost anything I wouldn't recommend this. I can empithize with those who have decided to make the cute little thing an ornament.

On the first attempt at takeoff, the plane rotated violently to the left just as it got in the air and hit the ground on its wheels. Skinned up a wing tip and folded the tail wheel but didn't break the prop. I thought snap roll at first but I'm not sure. For the second take off I added a little right rudder and aileron trim. The plane tracked down the runway and didn't get swervy until the ground speed was quite high (like many tail draggers). A touch of elevator and she was climbing out. She seemed a bit touchy on the ailerons. The YS63 was hauling it to high airspeed and altitude in a hurry. I pulled back to half throttle, leveled it out put in a couple of clicks of up trim and it was groving. It's fast even at 1/2 throttle and sencitive to elevator and aileron around neuteral. Loops, stalls and rolls were all clean. Didn't see any tendency to snap roll except the first take off. finally headed in for a landing. The plane came in straight and clean with good control all the way down but kind of fast. Every thing looked good till just before touch down when I ran out of up elevator. Bouncy, bouncy landing. Folded the tail wheel wire again so I decided that flimsy thing needed to be change before I flew it again. I don't need to have it causing problems during takeoff. Overall not bad for one flight. I could learn to like the little bullit. This is tuff to call with one flight but right now I'm thinking nose heavy and in need of exponential.

But Murphy was still lurking, looking for an opertunity he knew would come.
I was also helping a newcomer setting up and flying his trainer and helping him set up a new engine in another plane. I gradually hurrying, becoming careless and making serious mistakes and only partially realizing it. Murphy watched and hid in the little bipe. Finally it was time to go home. I defueled the little bipe, Disconnected the fuel lines and readied to start the engine to run the fuel out of the crank case.
Later that afternoon the doctor assured me I wouldn't loose my left thumb but I would probably loose most of the feeling in it. After she put 10 stitches in it she said it should just fine in a few weeks.
So it will probably be a little while till I fly anything or at least unill next Wednesday. I Knew I should never have gotten rid of my old single stick radio