Now I find it very difficult when my aircraft (a foamie) is travelling towards me to "reverse" the sticks. i.e. left aileron to make the oncoming aircraft bank to the "right". With the 'plane going away from me, of course, there is no problem. This confusion being most apparent in high stress situations (landing, flying close to the slope etc.)

From : Don Stackhouse

I'd like to "second" Joe's comments on this. What you describe is probably the second biggest and most common problem for beginners (the first is overcontrolling). It seems like just about EVERYONE has major trouble with this at first. Some overcome it quickly, others go on struggling with it for years. You MUST confront this problem head-on and overcome it, or it will drag you down like a ball and chain. Fortunately there are some things that can help.

First, DO NOT fall into the trap of turning around and looking back over your shoulder at the model when it's coming towards you. This is a common beginner's "crutch", but it will actually DELAY your progress.

Eventually you will have to be able to react instinctively to roll commands needed in this mode, but there are a number of mental tricks that might help in the meantime. The one that worked for me was to think of the stick as a support. If the model was coming toward you and one wing dropped, "put the stick under the down wing" and push it back up. You can also think of the stick as a barrier; if the model starts going to one side, move the stick to that side, "blocking" the model's path. The model will move back the other way. Think up whatever mental trick works best for you.

Probably the best way to develop this skill with low risk, stress and cost is to go to your local Radio Shack and buy a cheap R/C car. The best time to do this is about 3 weeks from now, when all the leftover Christmas stock is on clearance sale. You don't need a fancy or expensive one, but make sure it has proportional steering (a stick that steers in both directions, not just a couple of push buttons, and the amount the wheels turn should be proportional to how far you move the stick). Now, set up a course from some chairs, boxes, whatever on your living room floor. If your parent, spouse, "significant other", etc. complains, tell them that it's therapy that has been specifically prescribed for you by a professional (after all, I do this full time as my regular "day job", so I am a "model aviation professional"). Make sure that part of the course involves coming toward you between two obstacles. Now practice running the course. Go as slow as necessary to avoid running into obstacles, but work on going faster as your skill improves. Once you get comfortable, try lengthening the straight portion of the course that comes toward you, and when you think you're REALLY getting good at it, try adding some kinks and zig-zags to that straight. In a surprisingly short time you should get fairly comfortable with controlling a model coming toward you.

Don Stackhouse
DJ Aerotech