RE: Newbie what plane?
New flyers might find my brief Park Flyer history helpful.
My first plane was a Slow Stik. At the time, I didn't know what I was doing and kept stalling and breaking props. Things like center of gravity (COG) and other basic flying concepts weren't getting properly grasped. So I put the Stik aside and ran down to the local hobby store and bought a Firebird II. This is the plane I learned how to fly on. I paid the price; hung it up in trees and even had one go too far up and get blown away never to be seen again. The Firebird II has no elevator control and cannot do very tight turns. However, the Firebird II is inexpensive, crashworthy, and will give the new pilot very important "Stick time" in which to become familiar with turning the plane while flying towards and away from a given reference point.
Next I bought an Aerobird and it about killed me. One day it flies ok and the next day it crashes. The Aerobird always had something going wrong with it, servos, radio, COG shift, etc. My Aerobird has been sold and is no longer in my hangar.
Next I bought a GWS Tiger Moth and this plane really built my 3 ch confidence back up after the Aerobird nearly killed it. The Moth is easy to fly and land on those breezeless evenings. After flying the Moth I went back to the Slow Stik and learned to fly it in all types of conditions.
I also now have a Graupner Terry that flies like a demon. The Terry cannot take rough landings so I would not call it a beginner?s plane. The Terry also can fly very fast very quickly and can catch the novice off guard.
A couple of months ago I bought the Sky scooter Pro II to practice landings to build up a confidence level with the Terry landings and try a plane with ailerons. The Scooter is a blast to fly and the upgrades purchased at Servo City make plane really perform. The scooter can land hard and fast if needed and would make a great beginners plane. You do need a large field, especially if you are a new R/C pilot.
If I did it all again I would have bought the Scooter instead of the Aerobird. The planes cost about the same but with the Scooter you get real R/C gear and a plane that flies and turns a heck of alot better.
In conclusion, I could have learned to fly using the Scooter. Based on what I know now, the Sky Scooter would have been a better first plane choice for me going the self taught route.
Fair winds.....