For the money I like the scout, flies pretty well for a little 2 channel plane, although I too had a tail boom problem with it.

As far as getting planes down from a tree, I am an amateur radio operator and one of the things we use to get wire antennas up in the trees is a fiberglass telescoping mast (about $30) that is very lightweight and extends to 33 feet in height. I forget the manufacturer of these telescoping mast, but they advertise in any amateur radio magazine. There are a few companies that make thse some are expensive $300 which are almost like a steel mast, the cheaper ones do the same thing but cannot support much weight other than wires. But I have used it many times to knock my runaway planes down from tree limbs.