I started out a few flights on the Aerostar 60 that belonged to my instructor. It was very fast. He took off and lost the plane the day I was going to buy it. We all watched it fly out of control full at throttle as it dived into the trees. It was a tough plane, but not that tough.

I ended up with a second hand Xtra Easy 2, and I have to admit that it is solid and tough too. It is modified for a main gear with nylon bolts. Some reinforcing of the fuselage bottom and firewall with triangular stock has turned it into a great trainer. It has seen some punishment and kept on flying. The Evo .45 training system engine is superb.

The losers that I've seen at the field are:

Eagle 2 ARF Lightweight and won't take much before something gets smashed badly. The built up horizontal stabilizer won't take much before the joints start breaking.

Sig Kadet Senior ARF same thing. It definately won't take much with the flimsy cowl, canopy, and wire main gear. A friend cracked his firewall after a few weeks due to fuel rotting out the wood. A few hard landings and the prop barely clears the ground when taxiing.