Turn the wayback machine back about 30 years. I'm in high school and a friend asks if I would like to try his RC plane. SURE. He lifts it off perfectly and hands me the controls. After a few flights like this he doesn't have to stand right next to me. Life is good.
OK, now turn the wayback machine to current day. "I used to fly, so it shouldn't be that hard to pick it up". Trust me, it isnt like riding a bike, it's like falling OFF a bike and it still hurts as much. I was doing my best to get an old avistar given to me by my brother ready to fly again. It needed a new wing, and horiz stab. That done, it was off to the park. Don't assume what you used to know is still stuck in there. The plane taxied like a drunk was at the controls (a bad omen) Pride is a terrible thing. I forced her down the runway and pulled back on the stick forcing her to confront one or two of Newtons Laws.. She gave me 12 feet of altitude, did a terrible torque roll and ended up inverted in 12 pieces. (she is in rehab as we speak) I have several theories. CG was off as this was a new wing on an old plane. (operator error) Improper needle valve adjustment (operator error) Just plain PRIDE (operator error)

To make this long sad story short. The laws of physics are still the same. You can choose to obey them or not. Your plane however WILL ALWAYS OBEY THEM. I have since asked a friend who is an instructor to help me get my wings back (something that should have been done before the ill fated flight) He is going to help me adjust everything, and get me back in the air the correct way. Before you start preaching, I have already confessed my sins and am repenting.

The moral of this story: Pride goeth before a fall...or in this case a CRASH. Don't assume that something that used to be second nature hasn't packed its "chute" and jumped out.

I still say it is like riding a bicycle, but having help the first few flights definitely helps. Another factor is how well you could fly before you took a break. Before I started flying again, I spend some time mentally going through flights to work out the cobwebs. I think this helped. Anyway, not meaning to lecture, just passing along observations from another who took a long break. Welcome back to the obsession.

30 years? I go through the same thing every year after the winter break! hahaha

I bet you'll re-learn your skills quickly.

After seeing my instructor take off my plane for the first time in 20 yrs, i believe experience is the biggest advantage. The trims were off enough for me not to be able to see it but it made the plane bank to the left hard after takeoff. I would never have been able to counter the controls quick enough. Just my thoughts.

I just flew last weekend for the first time in over a year - I was definately nervous! Though I can safely say that I had 5 good takeoffs, and about 10 landings!

not the worse case of pride or ego I've seen.
that belongs to a beginner at the end of his first flight day...my then 9 year old daughter was about ready to solo, she was flying the pattern and was generally honing her skills when we met the beginner.
Of course his first lesson he was all over the sky ,just like we were, anyway when we were packing up to leave at dusk he told us that my daughter had embarresed him.
I tried to explain that he did well and she was almost ready to solo, that she had been flying for a while. that he would soon be solo'd himself.
alas we never saw him again.....what a shame

Wow, left after one lesson after seeing a kid (who'd been at it for a while) fly? Probably a good thing, they would have left after their first real crash anyway. At least now their used gear is worth more to some other newbie and not broken into small bits.

I was out of the hobby about 10yrs, and I picked it right back up, but I was a pretty good pilot then, an instructor and flying a variety of planes. I'm a much better pilot now than I was then. On the other hand, it does vary a lot by person, and seem to depend a lot on how much flying you'd done before you left the hobby. I've had several guys come back at my club after having been out for a while, and most of them do struggle a bit at first, but I don't think any were as far along as I was when I left

I didn't have nearly enough experience back then to have the pride I do now. I could barely keep the plane in the sky back then. I should have listened to myself when all the red flags came up as I was taxiing. Live and learn.

Thanks for posting that, btw. And yeah, a big ego can cause a lot of damage.

There's a guy in my club who seems unable to admit it when he makes a mistake, so all his crashes (and they are legion) are due to just about everything besides pilot error. Pretty funny, but he won't become a better pilot until he realizes where the real problem is. (note, it's funny because all his crashes are out in the over-fly, while he crashes a lot, he always does it in a safe manner. He's very aware of safety issues).

I just want beginners or....Re-Beginners to learn from my mistakes.