ORIGINAL: rmh
absolutely-
good aerobatic setups are THE easiest of models to fly.
The have to be ,in order to get predictable results when performing maneuvers.
I have handed the tx to absolutely novice fliers ,and allowed them (supervised of course) to fly competition aerobatic stuff - 33% - 42% models
The comments are always that the planes are easier to fly than the trainers they are flying.
The reason being, the models go smoothly where they are pointed .
Many trainers are badly setup, making control, slow or erratic,unresponsive.
getting the weight /balance/control parameters correct on scale aerobatic designs, makes them possycats to fly
If you want scaled models which typically are hard to setup - try speed designs or some military designs .
These were never intended to be docile thru a wide speed range - where the aerobatic designs ,on the other hand must be able to perform.
Now we're on the same page. My 50cc AeroWorks Extra 260 is so easy to fly I sometimes think a brain-dead idiot could fly it. As you said, I've handed the radio to fairly inexperienced pilots who commented on how well it flew. Even with tapered wings the stalls are a non event. It simply slows down and as you pull back on the stick will eventually start falling pretty much straight down (aka an elevator or sometimes called a parachute) without so much as dropping a wing. Incredibly gentle stall transition.