And, to answer your question directly, well, that all depends on if you want glow or electric. In my experience, balsa electrics are very fragile and do not hold up well to rough handling. Their glow counterparts are a bit more sturdy and do hold up better, but nothing will hold up to really severe handling and very rough landings.

The best thing to do is master the one you have, to the point where all of your landings are good, meaning, "the plane walks away from the landing"... Some of the recommendations, the Four Star 40, for instance, are balsa and are pretty tough. They are bigger and, thus easier to see. They are faster, too, but can be tamed down quite a bit, and, as we always seem to say when offering help, throttle management is always a good thing... they are linear (somewhat) and not on-off switches. Learning to land safely is all important, and encompasses throttle management and use as well as the use of the other controls.

Now, back to the question in hand. Some of the foam aircraft seem to hold up better to hard landings, way better than balsa electrics will. So, if you are looking for a tough landing aircraft, then I would definitely stay away from electric powered balsa and stick with foam. Once comfortable, move on up and give them a try. They are a true joy to fly.


SR71... [:@] Not a beginners aircraft at all. Maybe after a time, well, I've already said that.


CGr.