"Do it right?" Did you guys watch the video? Everything seemed to go well to me. I'm in the AMA and learned with an instructor, but just last year our club had 4 guys join, all of who taught themselves to fly on foamies at the local park. When they joined our club they all went through some brief training to get used to bigger planes and make sure they knew the rules of the road, but they all had their wings in less than a week.

So, good job. Have you looked into fixing the bent prop shaft? Shouldn't cost much. If you were trying to learn on a larger scale, gas engine Sukhoi, I'd say look for another plane, but the foamies are different. Three of the four guys I mentioned above learned on Corsairs, a plane most people would say a beginner should avoid, but it flew like a trainer. Most of those park flyers are designed to be easy, gentle fliers. If you get the urge to fly bigger planes, maybe glow planes, at a bigger field then consider joining the AMA and a club, well worth the money.