AOB:
heres an idea - I've had a few students that struggle at the flare. BUT... IF i simply keep saying "keep flaring,keep flaring, keep flaring" when they are actually doing it, they can produce some VERY nice landings - my point of talking when perhaps you shouldn't is 2-fold: 1) to show them that they DO have it within them & 2) Thats' the "voice" they should hear in their head as they are doing it with me being perfectly quiet, hands in lap
what most tend to do, is flare a bit, control a balloon, but then BRACE FOR IMPACT - i.e. they just fix the control column for fear that any further back pressure will restart the balloon. Don't think like that. "CHECK" any balloon, and just as you sense its about to go back down, just think, right, time to start flaring
you MUST try to have that CC in motion towards you as they touch. Another trick is to try as reduce the throttle at such a pace, so that it is fully idle, JUST before the wheels touch - remember, throttle controls UP&Down, so the pace at which you reduce throttle will also control the flare rate. move that slowly back and the pace will remain manageable - just cut it, & you're at the mercy of gravity.
****, going through all that, makes me want to get in a plane with you and just show you
but i still stand by my original post - save the cash THEN blast at it. All the other talk of TMG's etc are all good and interesting, but think about what you want out of flying - where do you want your ratings to go, what do you want to do when you fly. Ultimately, I think that Group-A gives you more flexibility to go to others, than the other way round - but thats just gut feel, not an informed statement.
BB