I truly believe the Nextstar is a lot of nonsense. In fact, the instructors I know disabled the AFS and remove the other junk to get back to simple basics.

To learn to fly, one needs to master the basic controls and do three things:

1. Take off

2. Fly a pattern while maintaining level flight

3. Land

Anything that impedes or interfers with these three basic objectives is a waste of time. In fact, most of the elements of these items could be mastered on a flight simulator. After that, one would need at most a couple of hours of hand holding. I know several people with the help of a simulator who did it all by themselves.

Aircraft choice is also paramount to a successful flight path. A simple durable trainer with a modest engine would be the best choice. Try to find one without too much dihedral and wing area. Many models are too stable (hard to turn) and float around like a kite (light wing loading). Here are some suggestions:

1. Solaris by Wingspro (composite very strong)

2. Lucky Stick by Model Tech (balsa sheeted foam wing and replacement parts like fuselage available)

3. Duraplane Trainer 20 or 40 (extremely durable)

4. Ultra Stick 40 (surprisingly docile and makes an excellent trainer)

For an engine, there is nothing that beats an OS Max. I have a 19 (and a 40 LA & 46 AX) that I bought 40 years ago that still sings a sweet tune.

Ciao,

Eagle Al