DoppelgangerONE

Hey everyone. I've been reading lots and lots of posts, and I'm getting some good information from everything I've read.

I've been flying a Firebird Commander for the summer, and will be looking to upgrade a little bit this fall so that I can get something a bit better going next year.

My question is basically, is there any kind of advantage to the standard elevator/rudder control of the T-Hawk?? Or is there any kind of advantage to the V-Tail "ruddervators" of the Aerobird??

I can't seem to determine if one is a better setup than the other.

If anyone has experiecne with both of these planes, feel free to chime in with your ideas and input as to which would be a better plane for a second plane.


Thanks,
Jeff

steve ypsi mi

you get more parts with the T hawk, less hassle setting the trim because of the adjustment of the fishing line on the arrowbird, they both fly good
one disadvantage the T hawk prop can't be bought any where except from them so if you buy a T Hawk make sure you order 2 or 3 extra ones if you buy their plane

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

T-Hawk comes with extra props.

The V tail is less likely to be damaged in the grass by being dragged through it. The flat tail drags in teh grass more.

If you like the convenience of buying at the Local Hobby Store and being able to go get a part whenever you like, then the Aerobird is the plane for you.

You have to order the T-Hawk on-line. No picking it up at the hobby store. On the other hand, the t-hawk comes with spare wing, spare tail, second battery and 3 props so you already have spares.

Either plane flies well.

Spid

The Prop on the T-Hawk is the same as the Aerobird. The T-Hawk Main Wing is exactly the same as the Hobbico Ventura.
I really like the T-Hawk over the Aerobird as I've flown both. I don't care for the fishing control lines of the Aerobird and I feel more comfortable flying a plane with traditional control surfaces.

My dad has a couple of Aerobirds and T-Hawks and I fly the Ventura which looks kind of cool with the T-Hawk orange wing on it [8D]

Readytoflyfun styrofoam packaging is top notch and they ship it USPS Priority. Turnaround time is very quick (imho).

My preference is the T-Hawk and you get more items (extra prop, extra wing, extra tail, 2 batteries) for your money, but both planes fly well.

Just my .02. Take Care and best of luck to you!

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

The T-Hawk is a fine starter plane. It is very rugged and flies well. We
have two in our club. We have 6 Aerobird Challengers 2 Aerobird Xtremes.

Both planes fly very well, so either makes a good first plane.

I will try to detail similarities and differences to help you evaluate and
have a price summary below based on my understanding of costs.

Similarities:

Both are pod and boom plane design
Both are three channel R/E/T controls.
Both are in the 16 -18 oz range.
Both use a speed 380 motor
Both have proportional throttle
Both use a polypropylene body with a carbon boom
Both use foam wing and tail.
Both use FM radios on 27 mhz in the RTF packages

Differences (T hawk items first)

T-Hawk items listed first vs. Aerobird Challenger listed second

standard tail vs. V tail
standard servo/receiver/ESC vs integrated control board
pushrods vs pull pull design
2000' range vs 2500' range ( both are adequate)
Requires 7 cell battery vs 6 or 7 cells
40" wing with wood spar vs 42" all foam wing
60 minute AC/DC peak charger vs. 40 minute DC Peak charger
5-10 min flight with std battery vs. 7-15 min flight with std battery
2 batteries, 2 wings, 2 tails vs 1 of each
parts by mail only vs parts readily available in LHS
$5 extra to choose channel - choice of 6 channels at purchase


Aerobird Options (not avail for t-hawk)
Air to air combat module
Bomb/parachute drop
sport mode/pro mode
Night fly module

T-Hawk Option not available for Aerobird

receiver ready - use your own radio/receiver

Typical prices for comparable starter packages
(these would be my starter pkg recommendation)

T-Hawk, $169+6 = 175 plus shipping
Mail order only
http://www.readytoflyfun.com/thawnimwssfm.html
Base Plane package with FM radio, channel choice, two 7 cell nimh batteries,
two wings,
two tails, AC/DC peak charger (60 min charge time),
add 8 AA batteries


Aerobird - 150 + 15 + 10 + 25 = $200 + tax or shipping
Availabe at local hobby store or by mail order
http://horizon.hobbyshopnow.com/prod...p?prod=HBZ3500
Base plane package - add wing, tail and second battery
includes nimh and field 12V peak charger (40 minute charge)
and 8 transmitter
batteries


What you see is that the price difference between them is not great. Both are
great planes! You make the choice.


e-bay option

The Aerobird Challenger is available daily, new in box, on e-bay for about
$125. If you consider this a valid source, then the Aerobird comes in at
$170. Lots of Aerobird stuff on e-bay as well.

flyingace451

I haven't really flown the T-Hawk. So I can't really bash it or anything. The best thing I love about the Aerobird is the Xport stuff. I also LOVE how my LHS has every spare part known to man on the Aerobird.

The main difference that I actually have the authority to say...is that I think the ABC looks cooler than the T-Hawk. Hehehehehehe

LET US KNOW WHAT YOU GET!!!

SUPERGONZO

Aerobird Challenger is a great plane, flies easy and tales alot of abuse (I know about that firsthand) I prefer the V-tail to a flat tail for turning ability and for damage control. Challenger can take a battery upgrade and fly for quite a long time. Parts available anywhere. You wont be bored with the Challenger for a long time if ever.

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

The Aerobird Challenger recently changed proce from $149.99 to 109.99. Now it is really a great package.

flyingace451

AW COME ON!!! I should have waited about 6 months for the price drop. (joking joking)

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

Great time to buy a second one so a friend can fly combat with you.

bluex80

I'm looking into getting an aero bird or firebird. both are carried with parts at my local hobby store, and as cool as the slow stick and easy star loo, i can only afford what i can afford. I even looked at a 2 channel yellow bee ( looks like a one off areo bird with motor thrust + steering.
My question is this, I work at a large park. 5 soccer fields, and four baseball diamonds. It's 160 acres total with half of it open space ( wooodlands). Other than lighting on the playingfeilds presenting a very real danger, space isn't an issue. I have talked to flyers who come their on lunch breaks and after work. Everyone from very advanced 3-d flyers, to novices with Yellow bee's and Air hogs with 2 channel from walmart.
My co-worker owns a one off of the aerobird, not sure wich brand, and has gone through several body's, as the tail boom tends to breack off right in front of the V- control surfaces. I recently talked to some guys flying several RTF's and ARF's of the toy not to scale variety, and they suggested I not buy the firebird line of planes for the problem they have with the bad rear section breaking. They suggested the aero bird, as they haddn't heard of this being a problem with them. They were quick to point out that even the Yellow bee from harbor freight tools had not broken as easily and it had had several bad crashes.
Is this true, has anyone heard of the firebird line having a problem with the body where it connects the the rear control surfaces. Manufacturer defect, or myth?

bluex80

I'm looking into getting an aero bird or firebird. both are carried with parts at my local hobby store, and as cool as the slow stick and easy star loo, i can only afford what i can afford. I even looked at a 2 channel yellow bee ( looks like a one off areo bird with motor thrust + steering.
My question is this, I work at a large park. 5 soccer fields, and four baseball diamonds. It's 160 acres total with half of it open space ( wooodlands). Other than lighting on the playingfeilds presenting a very real danger, space isn't an issue. I have talked to flyers who come their on lunch breaks and after work. Everyone from very advanced 3-d flyers, to novices with Yellow bee's and Air hogs with 2 channel from walmart.
My co-worker owns a one off of the aerobird, not sure wich brand, and has gone through several body's, as the tail boom tends to breack off right in front of the V- control surfaces. I recently talked to some guys flying several RTF's and ARF's of the toy not to scale variety, and they suggested I not buy the firebird line of planes for the problem they have with the bad rear section breaking. They suggested the aero bird, as they haddn't heard of this being a problem with them. They were quick to point out that even the Yellow bee from harbor freight tools had not broken as easily and it had had several bad crashes.
Is this true, has anyone heard of the firebird line having a problem with the body where it connects the the rear control surfaces. Manufacturer defect, or myth?

aeajr

My Feedback: (2)

BlueX80,

Welcome to the fun of RC flying. Based on your post, I presume this is your first plane.

Sounds like you will have help and plenty of room. That will make a huge difference.


I have the original Aerobird and the Aerobird Challenger. After a total of over 600 flights, as well as having a BUNCH Aerobirds at our club I have never seen a tail boom broken. I am sure the right kind could of crash could cause it but I have never seen one.

The only Firebird ( there are a bunch of different Firebirds ) I have heard of that has had this problem is the Firebird Scout. I have never seen one broken on a Firebird Commander, Firebird Commender II, Fighter Bird or a Firebird XL.

Having said that, I always recommend the Aerobird Challenger over the Firebirds because it has 3 channels, which will give you a greater ability to handle wind AFTER you learn how to fly the plane in calm air.

The New HobbyZone Super Cub is also getting rave reviews by beginners.

And, of course the T-Hawk is an excellent choice and an excellent value too. Once you add the cost of an extra wing, extra tail and an extra battery, all of which you will want to get with the Aerbird, the T-Hawk is close in price. Some feel it is a better plane. However you give up the X-port options and local parts.

bluex80

The only Firebird ( there are a bunch of different Firebirds ) I have heard of that has had this problem is the Firebird Scout. I have never seen one broken on a Firebird Commander, Firebird Commender II, Fighter Bird or a Firebird XL.
[/quote]

So then it is true? For the Scouts at least? The info I had from my coworker said that once it brole during a rough tail tap on landing.

Leo L

The Firebird Freedom, which is not a good plane for beginners in any case, also suffers from breaks at the boom.

If you want to start off with a 2-channel plane, get the Firebird Commander 2. Its a very rugged plane and flies very well, as long as there is virtually no wind.

I agree with Ed that your best bet would be to start with a 3-channel plane. Probably the two best are the SuperCub and the EasyStar. The Wingo is also supposed to be very good. If these are beyond your budget, the Aerobird Challenger and T-hawk are good selections. If you are still limited in your budget, go for the SkyFly.

dwayne_carlin

As far as comparing the difference between the aerobird and the T hawk. The choice is a hard one also this point was not considers that the T hawk has hop ups with a sport wing and you can get a 480 motor for it. The thing that made me go with a hobbyzone is the LHS I strongly believe in support your local businesses plus it is nice to be able to just go to the LHS to pick up any spare parts that you need, and just bs with owner and patrons. I can not say what one flys better then the other personally, I have seen both of these birds fly I would have to give the performance edge to the Aerobird but a lot of that could be do the the person with the controls. Now I fly the Firebird Freedom, and I love it I have had zero problems with it but it is fast and the more space the better and add on mods drop pod etc are a blast. At the end of the day I can say nothing bad about the T-hawk but for my money at 109.00 and you can find them for much less on e-bay I would go for the Aerobird Changer.

Leo L

Dwayne,

I'm glad that you are enjoying the Freedom. Your experience supports what most people say about the plane: its a decent flyer with some nice features for someone who already has some flying experience, but is not a very good plane for someone who has never flown before. If Horizon Hobby changed their assessment of the plane and listed it as a Level 2 plane, and eliminated ACT, then they would have a good seller.

dwayne_carlin

Leo

I do agree with that statement. I had limited flying experience (aero ace) but 5 years of flight Sims with games like IL2 and wwiionline. I have thanked the forms several times for all there information on this bird, if I did not have the resources available to me to understand how the Freedom would fly there is a good chance it would of never got off the ground. I have been very happy with it, but not to hijack this thread I am shopping around for a Aerobird Challenger for my self as a second plane because its always a lot more fun when you can fly with a friend, and at the current price at 109 NIB my wallet will not melt.

ElectricFlyer_17

Personally, I would take the Aerobird Challenger, but that is just because I have one. I think that the BEST feature of both of them is the fact that the prop is behind the plane. When I first started, I got a Megatech Airstrike (BIG Mistake) for Christmas one year, and every time my Dad and I would try to fly it, the same thing happened: Crash into ground, Breaking the prop and bending the gear-shaft. This REALLY disappointed me, and I got out of the hobby for a while. Then I thought I would try, I asked for and received a Hobbyzone Aerobrid Challenger. The first time my Dad and I flew it, and it actually worked, was amazing. I have never had to replace ANY parts on my Aerobrid Challenger. Plus, it has the X-Port, and the two different modes of control. So yeah, I would definitely recommend the Aerobird Challenger.

SUPERGONZO

Aerobird Challenger

T-Hawk

Super Cub


All Great, T-Hawk comes with extra Wing and tail section, good if you crash, excellent easy flyer

foreverNight

Old thread but, had to chime in. I've flown both and both are fun, and fly great as well very easy to fly. But the T-hawk is a better deal and its more aerobatic, it can do rolls, the aerobird cant because of the v-tail. Hobbyzone customer support is A+. I never had to deal with T-Hawk support though. So i say T-Hawk.

Tommyr

The T-Hawk absolutely rocks! Flys great, I LOVE mine! It basically taught me how to fly. I have a Slo-V and Scout but the T-Hawk taught me flight. Great value for your money too.

Tom

mrlikescheese

today we had a fun fly/swap meet at our flying club and i got an Aerobird Challenger for $75 including two extra outlet chargers from my friend Bob S. this will be my second plane. (my first is a Superstar trainer and i still havent soloed yet and i thought i wouldnt be as nervous on an electric plane.

nystagehane

I would go with the aerobird3 not the challenger because the challenger uses fishing line instead of push rods. If you are comparing the t-hawk to the challenger. I would get the t-hawk.

I have a challenger that is stilling flying, because it can be repaired in so many different ways. But I would never never never own a plane using fishing line again.

Just my 2 cents.