Stjohn's RV-7

Did my BFR at Proteus yesterday. Dang, am I rusty. N400JW is a Piper Archer with a threadbare crushed-velour interior and a fading paint job that I have been flying, off and on, since 1998. It fits like a comfortable old sweater or a favorite pair of jeans. But it took me two tries to hack a basic 45 degree 360. This is what I get for not flying in over a year. But the instructor signed me off, which he did after the skillz came back. I’m a good pilot, but I need a hell of a lot more practice before I feel as safe as I did when I was flying all the time. But renting that ship for an hour a week for a year is about what one of the major kit parts of the RV costs. Slow build. So I’m in a quandary.. I don’t like being this out of practice.. it’s not safe. But I need to get on a regular skills maintenance program of some sort.. And I need to sort out tailwheel/aerobatic training somehow.