there are better planes out there and i have to find one too. i think im going with the EF yak 54. but the ucd i believe is a important first step to 3d. it will teach you to fly at high and low rates first and it also teaches you to fly a low wing.and i have gained a lot of confidence from it and now i can do great blenders with the ucd and it also does knife edge the hard way but i think it teaches you a lot to learn tricks the hard way and when i get my yak im gonna say wow, this is great. the same thing i said when i first flew my ucd. so what is great about this hobby is there is always another step, but boy is it expensive!! other things i have learned to do with my ucd and it does good are stall turns, hovering,but im still got room to get better and just all around flopping around. so good luck you guys.oh and im 51 and going on 16.