RE: just asking
Have you checked out the Firebird Freedom? It looks to be a cross between the Firebird and the Aerobird.
If you haven't purchased your plane(s) yet, consider the following plan. Buy two AeroAces from Toy-r-us as your initial starters. Although they are micro-planes, they are only $30 each, are virtually indestructable, and will teach you several critical lessons. They will teach you that as a beginner, you need to fly only on calm days. They will teach you throttle control and will teach you to stay away from trees. Finally, they will teach you about control reversal, i.e.: when the plane is flying toward you, you need to move the control stick to the right for the plane to turn to the left. You don't need to go to a large field to fly these planes, you can fly them in your yard, in front of your house, in a gymnasium, etc. Once you are comfortable with flying these 2-channel planes, skip over the large 2-channel planes and buy a pair of basic three channel planes for you and your son. You can select from the Firebird Freedom, the Aerobird / T-Hawk, the Slow-V / Slow Stick, or any number of other three channel trainers.