On disabilty that lead to this hobby.

[docbull]

Hello,

Fast background. I was formerly in the military as a Corpsman with the Navy then Marines. At one point I used to think I was 10 feet tall and bullet proof, ie my body could take on the greatest MMA fighter. Last summer I was hit in the back of my neck by a 17 y/o group home girl while working as a nurse in a locked acute care psych facility. Not her fault, she has had a troubled life behond what most of us could imagine. Hence I went out onto disabily, had an ACDF in Sept '15 and still currently working on additional problems that are spinal from the hit and my "indestructible" physical past.

Ok, so with lots of free time on disability I got into inside quad flying and coaxials. I progressed self tought as my LHS is less then accommodating to questions. They are switching from brick and mortor to online? From there I found online forums, a better HS but farther away and fixed pitch advancing into CP. I have a Blade Nano Cps, 230s, Dx7s, Phoenix Sim and a few nonflyable nonname brand nano fixed and cp heli's. I record all of my flight times, battery cycles and events. Since this summer I have just over 78 hours of flight both real and sim. I have learned there are many routes you can go, different styles, desires, goals and paths in this hobby. I hit frustration with a bad LHS and lost money but recovered with patience and research. The MOST valuable tool despite any route you take is this forum and another like it. For anyone just getting into this hobby first don't give up, it is AWESOME and second read, learn and grow here too. Many say a Sim is a must and I agree but I consider the forum and fellow pilots the core foundation even before instructors, sims, coaxials etc. Thank you guys for helping me progress here into this world.

OC, Calif

Semper Fi

Docbull

[toadiscoil]

Hi and welcome. That is some story sir. I admire your courage and will to keep going. I love this hobby (which has become a passion for me) and this is truly a story of how this hobby can go far beyond "toy helicopters". It is a hobby that offers a growing path with set goals and I have found it has the best community of any other hobby, just because everyone understands how expensive, time-consuming and frustrating it can get, so they all try to help ease the pain for other newcomers.

Definitely you are on a good path, but I would recommend following a formal training path. You seem to have the required discipline to log your flights (I don't) so you will have little trouble following the discipline of a structured training which can grow your skills. Through experience you may know much of what I have on the following, but it also includes the link to the training path I follow (and recommend).

https://www.helifreak.com/showthread.php?t=720316

Good luck!

[FlatCrank]

Appreciate your service! So sorry to hear about your accident but I commend you on your positive attitude and your understanding of the person/situation that affected your life.

I am former Navy as well when I was 10ft tall and bulletproof.

Hopefully, just as I have found, you'll experience the wonderful people of the HF community. There is a ton of amazing people and support that comes from them. Don't be afraid to find some threads/topics of interest and read throught them. I think you'll find that you'll absorb a lot of good information and helpful input.

Welcome and take care!

FlatCrank