Yep, the dratted Dynamic Rollover is always ready to bite. You only have to get distracted for a second when they are in ground effect. I have a couple of 3d capable esky 250s here, and haven't touched either since getting phantoms. Flying model helis was good prep for trying an R22 though. All that is really different are the reaction times to a control input. I learnt to fly without a gyro, so even peddling the tail wasn't too bad. It was fun, but I decided I couldn't afford it. Chickenhawk is still one of my favourite books!
I LOVE Chickenhawk! The BEST helicopter oriented novel I've ever read!! Awesome to hear someone else say the same.
I've had to let a couple of my gas heli's go since being medically retired from the Army and through the VA as well. Just not enough disposable income to keep up with the maintenance and the inevitable crashes. I had an MD500 gas heli I miss more than all others! Now, I'm down to one Blade SR120 that has seen her fair share of incidents. But she keeps coming back for more despite the outright difficulty of flying it. Repair parts are cheap though unless you dunk it and I don't do overwater with that one.
I've mainly been flying my Stratios and Radien these days. Glider like longevity in the air and minimal chances of crashing although, I did crash my Strat not too long ago and have a complete airframe rebuild to do. All parts are in, but I was distracted by this Phantom showing up! lol