Scotty, you'll be learning till you hang up your head phones. The plane is forgiving and if it were any safer it would be boring. I would do high speed taxiing down the runway time after time raising the cunnard. Then when you think you are ready on a nice cool morning with a light wind straight down the strip, lift it off. When I did, I was taken back by the apparent high nose attitude, but even with that was maintaining only 500 feet but travelling over 130 knots. The normal climb attitude puts the canard and nose so high all you can see are the helecopters hovering above you [you're getting your first flight on video?] Do your circuit as planned and plan to go around. You'll know when you have enough experience. When the a/c you are flying is getting boring and you are looking for some more hot action, then its time. A note on the high speed taxi bit. If you have wheel fairings, the temperature inside can get so hot as to disintegrate the composite strut and the wheel falls off. Take your fairings off for the high speed taxi practice. I wrapped the strut with heat insulating material and drilled some holes in the bottom of the fairing as recommended in one of Rutans newsletters. Also, Continental engines are notorious for icing. Install a carby temp guage.