Aireed - a few months ago I flew solo for the first time in three years - before that a complex rating two years earlier and a dodgy flight review in a C152 for an hour a year earlier - both dual.
I did have grand plans to do 10/15 hours in the US before heading home after a three-year saga getting my plane refurbished (rubbish work, lawyers the full nine yards). In the event the autopilots, first one then the other, were disconnected so that messed up the plan for a short cross country - so a couple of abortive flights and an extended series of touch and goes with an instructor was all I got fitted in. The instructor a very experienced guy was brilliant - no patter, just "you fly the airplane and I'll stop you if you're about to kill us" - so flew the airplane not listening to the usual patter - very good landings (and I mean really, really good - landing was something I always struggled with) - so after two and a half hours (one and a half of t&g and two short flights when the a/p issues forced a return) - he said "you're good to go". So first solo flight after three years 1,500 mile trip to Barbados from Florida, first leg Stella Maris - no problems.
I have been wondering what happened in the three years that caused my landings to be at best iffy to rather good. Oddly I think I have figured it out, playing a video game called War Thunder (I am an addict) and a plane called a BB-1 - it usually gets shot to bits but getting it back takes serious thought. One thing is bleeding off speed - I came to realize it when landing in Puerto Rico, could not find the airport (looking in the wrong direction!) - over the numbers in my Archer low at 100mph+ bled it off in a third of the runway for a rather nice landing - just like the game in the BB-1.
Whatever caused it things have seemed to slow down and flying is much more fun now I am not freaked out at the prospect of having to land - latest wheeze over the number just above stall and maybe 3ft and fly half the length of the 10,000ft runway at that height to the exit - no more holding up everyone as I taxi a mile to exit.
That said I do still think when I park the car before I fly whether I will be coming back - all part of the fun - we all tend to live boring lives why would we want a hobby where there is not some real chance of death or injury
