RE: First-time Firebird Freedom Sucess!
With your experience in flying glow planes and the Stryker, you won't have any difficulty flying the Freedom. The Freedom is not a bad plane, its just not as good a plane for first time flyers as some other planes currently available. The fact that you will be helping your daughter should be enough to allow her to fly it. Although I hate hand launches, I had to launch the Freedom by hand a couple of times when it was too muddy to ground launch, when my son was first learning to fly the plane. To keep the Freedom from stalling, I had to take a couple of running steps before sending it on its way. When my son was able to do ground take-offs, the plane had no trouble taking off as long as it had a fairly long runway on which to attain sufficient air speed. Flying is no problem as long as you keep it at a decent speed. Landing is a little tricky: if you go too slow it stalls, drops a wing and crashes. If you go too fast, it "floats" and doesn't want to settle down. My son would constantly overshoot the runway because he didn't want to let it stall.
For your daughter, I suggest that you first start her with the AirHogs AeroAce (no substitutions), available at Toys-R-Us, Target, etc. for $30. Its only 9" long, is very easy to learn how to fly, is virtually indestructable, and can be flown in a gym, a basketball court, a schoolyard, on the street in front of your house, etc. If you do, I guarantee that before long you will have two: one for her and one for you, flying together while on two different frequencies. The original is a bi-plane and is terrific. A new "Jet" version has recently come out and its even better. Once she gets used to flying and becomes familiar with managing the throttle as she steers the plane, gets used to control reversal, etc., then have her fly the Freedom.
When she starts flying the Freedom, I strongly urge you to turn off the ACT. The system makes the plane less responsive to the flyer's controls and in many instances actually fights the flyer. At times that you need it most, on take-offs and landings, it does not work, but when you are well in the air, trying to learn how the plane flys, it steps in and takes away control. Not knowing that ACT took over, a beginner frequently suspects that he/she is doing something wrong or that the plane is malfunctioning. It may have been a good idea on paper, it just doesn't work well in the field.
Good luck to your daughter. Keep us informed of her progress.