Hi,

I'm a total newbie and need some advice. Last year, my wife bought me an Airhogs Defender RC plane (don't laugh, we've all got to start somewhere). I wanted it to see if I would even like RC flying, and for $25, it was a worthwhile investment. I cought the bug and decided to pursue it further.

I was going to have some time off last summer and stopped by the hobby shop to get a plane I could fly in the back yard. I don't know if the guy saw me coming or just didn't know any better, but he sold me an Aerobird Extreme. After putting it in a tree and nearly destroying it out of frustration, I decided it wasn't a beginner's plane (borne out by what I've gleaned from here).

From what I've read here, the good starter planes are Aerobird Challenger, Slo-stik, T-Hawk, and Slo-V. I'm leaning towards the Slo-stik, but the Aerobird is appealing because I bought the drop module for the Extreme and would like to use it. I was able to comfortably fly the Airhog in my back yard which is roughly 200 feet by 200 feet. Is it reasonable to expect that I could fly any of these planes in the same area? My flying interest right now is to get out early in the morning or after dinner in the evening when I've got a little time to kill before putting the kids to bed. I don't want to have to go to a flying field (about 25 minutes away). After I get more proficient, I'll tackle the Aerobird Extreme again.

Any insights would be great!

Mark