Hi All,
Looking for some general advice as I seem to be stuck trying to get past a certain stage at the moment.
Have been learning / flying (more recently) since Xmas, my 1st experience as you see so many times was a Hobbyzone Aerobird Swift (too advanced) which lasted me all of 5 seconds with absolutely no previous experience. I then moved to FMS and Hobbyzone Super Cub. With hours on the FMS quickly got bored of the Super Cub, rebuilt the Swift and had quite a few successful flights with varying amounts of damage, the final flight I launched with something "not right" to begin with and totalled it as I fought just to try and bring it down. I moved onto again more advanced which lasted no time one of which being a Brushless Art-Tech Mustang which again I destroyed. On advice I took a step back to get more stick time and bought a Multiplex MiniMag as a more docile plane I also learnt to fly approx 3 times the height I was before buying me invaluable error time.
I've now flown and flown the MiniMag to the extent I feel as though I'm throwing it around in the air, have smoothed out rolls, and although a little unstable can fly it inverted and thought it might be time to return to the (rebuilt for the 3rd time) Mustang. First flight was beautiful and I seemed to be copeing with the much more responsive and faster plane at 55/60 % throttle, really smoothing out the turns and just flying simply and safely to get used to it. The second flight the 1st 4 minutes was the same as before and then the turn that lost me and it all happens so quickly again when you thought you'd got past that stage as it heads for the ground at an amasing rate and you're just flayling with the controls which makes it worse.
Anybody any idea's how long should you be flying for before moving up and how to progress past this stage, are there other planes in between that may be more responsive than the MiniMag but a bit more forgiving than the Mustang and maybe a half way house or anything I can do with this one to make it more like the Mustang so it's not so extreme to move from one to the other ?????
Any help / advice greatly appreciated !!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I don't have any specific recommendations for you, but I can suggest one thing. You might do well to do some reading about how a plane flys. Sounds silly, but knowing the aerodynamics will help you with things like understanding stalls, snaps, angle of attack, wingloading and so on.

I suspect your reflexes and "stick wiggleing" ability isn't the problem, instead there's a good chance that you're doing something like holding "up" while the plane noses down and does a death spiral or stall-spin to the ground.

I am not sure of your limitations on field and $$$ on choice of aircraft but I would recommend getting away from Hobby Zone toys if you are serious about flying. When I returned to the hobby after an 8 year break, I got an Aerobird challenger. I couldnt fly that thing to save my arse. Once I got into a .60 size trainer, the fun was on. I flew for about a year going to several different airframes. Then I got that old challenger out again. What a pain to fly. I still cant fly the darn thing.

I think the operative word here is "flying". From your description I get that you have not done much of that. Crash avoidance is not a bad thing to do, however it is not "flying" in the operative sense. You need to develope some understanding of how an airplane flies and the fundamental forces acting on it. Small electrics are not especially conducive to this process, as they tend to flit more than fly. The usual advice to work with an instructor is still good advice, though many have learned on their own, as have I. It just takes a little longer and costs a lot more. I think you are actually asking at what point does understanding come to be, and that is an indvidual trait. It should be already in process, but you need to give yourself some direction to help it along. Such as giving your self a plan before each flight - what specifically are you going to do in this flight, what maneuvers, what altitude, what speed, etc. Too often, flyers (not neccessarily newbies) just get in the air and flail about with no idea what they are doing or what they want to do. Simply being purposeful will go a long way toward improvement in your flying and in the satisfaction of it. Selection of airplanes and equipment is just an extention of being purposeful in your choices and selections.

Best of luck to you.

Get a plane with low wing load until you get better at flying. The lower the wing load and the bigger the wing (wingspan and thickness), the better.

Get an accomplished pilot to "buddy Box" with you. He/she can help you more than you might realize.You may have just "picked up" a bad habit and don't realize it.

I noticed one day that I was not bringing the aileron back to neutral after achieving the desired bank. Result: I am having to put in more elevator to keep it at a level flight path
and I am over shooting or going past my intended flight route. Thus I am having to bank the opposite direction, etc. etc.

I spiraled one into the ground because I didn't start my turn soon enough. We have a radio tower with guy wires and I was getting close so I steeply banked it but I didn't
back off the aileron, and I spiraled it into the ground. Total loss.

I consciously talk my self thru turns now. Bank right, neutral aileron, up elevator to maintain altitude, correct left and so on. It helps me.

Just get a little help. They maybe abloe to spot the problem right away and you will be on your way to many successful flights.