hover and talk
Whirls,
Obviously I've struck a raw nerve with some of you, my apologies!
As a motorcyclist, you must know what I mean, especially after 25 years?
You learn to use the road as if everything and anything is going to try and kill you.
That sharpens your reactions and this natural wariness makes your reactions more intuitive when you need to make an instant decision.
As for hovvering, it took me 4 hours of muscle-wrenching frustration before I mastered it. You can judge for yourselves on the art of talking!
I stick by what I said: the R22 is a fabulous aircraft to learn in subject to a few provisos.
I didn't say that you shouldn't learn with a newly-qualified instructor, nor that they must have 1000 hours to be any good.
But if you find a fantastic instructor with not many hours on the R22, you should consider learning in a different aircraft.
Frank Robinson is on record as saying two things about the R22:
1/ it was never intended as a training machine
2/ he wouldn't let a member of his family fly in one with a pilot who had less than 400 hours on type.
Events and history have proved the R22 to be a great training machine despite everything, but if Mr Robinson is of this opinion, I doubt that I'm the only one who shares his viewpoint.
Big Ls
(1500 hours in a R22 and loved everyone of them).