1st plane xmas gift
12-08-2003, 12:39 PM
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1st plane xmas gift
i want to buy my 40 yr old kid brother a ready to fly park flyer. local wart has cox ez flyer & electra j3 club. any thoughts? any lternatives? ty.
12-09-2003, 07:46 AM
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RE: 1st plane xmas gift
For someone who doesn't have any flying experience, those planes make good static display models 
Some people have had success flying those inexpensive Wal-Mart models, but you really need to buy them with the expectation that they won't fly, for the challenge of trying to make them fly.
What's your budget? If you really wanted to get him into the hobby, a HobbyZone Firebird Commander is a good choice, but it costs about twice as much as the most expensive R/C plane at Wal-Mart. For less money, the Firebird Outlaw might not be a bad idea, but I don't have much experience with the Outlaw. A review in Backyard Flyer magazine seems to indicate that the Outlaw flies well, and is controllable.
Some people have had success flying those inexpensive Wal-Mart models, but you really need to buy them with the expectation that they won't fly, for the challenge of trying to make them fly.
What's your budget? If you really wanted to get him into the hobby, a HobbyZone Firebird Commander is a good choice, but it costs about twice as much as the most expensive R/C plane at Wal-Mart. For less money, the Firebird Outlaw might not be a bad idea, but I don't have much experience with the Outlaw. A review in Backyard Flyer magazine seems to indicate that the Outlaw flies well, and is controllable.
12-09-2003, 09:10 AM
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RE: 1st plane xmas gift
I second the Outlaw. Saw a kid flying it nearby on a soccerfield. I walked over and watched him and I was tempted to get a towel to swipe his smile off his face. He later told me he had never flown a plane before and he'll get this one for xmas but they let him use it before because they feared it would be too snowy around xmas.
Seems easy to control and performs actaully surprisingly well as far as i could see.
Seems easy to control and performs actaully surprisingly well as far as i could see.
12-09-2003, 06:40 PM
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RE: 1st plane xmas gift
Check out Matt Kirsch's forum on good first planes.
I'd highly recommend the first one on the list. I bought my kid brother (26) a Hitec Laser 4 radio, a Slow Stick, and a flight pack. He built the Slow Stick in an afternoon and the next day I trained him on a buddy box. It just seems the Slow Stick is hard to go wrong with.
He now has a Zagi XS on order. I learned a lot about flying from its predecessor, the Zagi 400X.
I'd highly recommend the first one on the list. I bought my kid brother (26) a Hitec Laser 4 radio, a Slow Stick, and a flight pack. He built the Slow Stick in an afternoon and the next day I trained him on a buddy box. It just seems the Slow Stick is hard to go wrong with.
He now has a Zagi XS on order. I learned a lot about flying from its predecessor, the Zagi 400X.
12-11-2003, 11:02 PM
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RE: 1st plane xmas gift
Your 40 year old brother? Take this from a 50 year old first year flyer.
I started on an Aerobird. Today you would get an Aerobird Challenger. Ready
to fly! Nothing to build, balance or set-up! Nothing to do wrong in building,
balancing and setting up! $110 on e-bay ready to fly! $150 at your local hobby store.
Low cost entry on a very rugged three channel plane that flies well. If you
like RC flying, then you can invest in more costly equipment and then go for
the 4 channel plane. If you don't like it, you only dropped $150.
Of course if you like it, you can go back and get the air to air combat module
and the bomb/parachute drop module for the Aerobird Challenger Then get a
friend to get one and have a ball with air to air combat, precison bombing
runs and parachute drops.
A big question is does he have a place to fly it. He will need an area that is like two football fields side by side, or an open area of a bunch of soccor fields. If he has that much space, an Aerobird would be great!
If this is more than you wanted to spend, then get together with some others and chip in. Get it off e-bay and save $40. That is where I got mine.
A $50 plane might be cute, but it will only frustrate him if RC flying is something he really wants to do. Get him a plane he can really fly!
I started on an Aerobird. Today you would get an Aerobird Challenger. Ready
to fly! Nothing to build, balance or set-up! Nothing to do wrong in building,
balancing and setting up! $110 on e-bay ready to fly! $150 at your local hobby store.
Low cost entry on a very rugged three channel plane that flies well. If you
like RC flying, then you can invest in more costly equipment and then go for
the 4 channel plane. If you don't like it, you only dropped $150.
Of course if you like it, you can go back and get the air to air combat module
and the bomb/parachute drop module for the Aerobird Challenger Then get a
friend to get one and have a ball with air to air combat, precison bombing
runs and parachute drops.
A big question is does he have a place to fly it. He will need an area that is like two football fields side by side, or an open area of a bunch of soccor fields. If he has that much space, an Aerobird would be great!
If this is more than you wanted to spend, then get together with some others and chip in. Get it off e-bay and save $40. That is where I got mine.
A $50 plane might be cute, but it will only frustrate him if RC flying is something he really wants to do. Get him a plane he can really fly!
