If you let the battery sit for 2 weeks without charging and then tried to take off, THAT's your problem. Never ever do that with rechargeable NiCd or NiMh. They lose charge just sitting. Lithium batteries, by contrast, do not.

I think, if you recharge your battery, your plane will be fine. Always top up your packs before you fly. Night before at the latest, then I top them off just before I fly them, even if I charged them last night. Warm off the charger gives you the best results.

As for how much range you need, that depends on the plane. Lots of people fly lots of planes on 500 foot receivers. For slow flyers or planes under 36 in wing spans, in my opinion, that is probably fine. But for a plane like the Sky fly, about the same size as my Aerobird, you can easily get this plane out 1000 feet comfortably. I fly my Aerobird out 1500 feet often, but I am a glider pilot so I am very accostumed to flying my planes way out there.

I would say 1000 feet is my minimum for planes of this class, and over 40" wing span I would prefer 1500 to 2000 feet for range.

Once you leave the world of RTFs, this will not be a problem. Virtually all 72 mhz radios can fly a plane further out than you can see. The sensativity of the receiver determines the range, so you pick what you want. Even the DX6 2.4 GHz radio, perfect for small electrics or small gliders, has a working range in the 1500 to 2000 foot range and is capeable of more.

If you have done two RTFs, time to go for a hobby class radio and switch to receiver ready planes, ARFs and kits. RTFs are fine for rank beginners, but once you become good on these two, it is time to get serious.

When you are ready to invest, let me know and I can give you plenty of info on radios based on your budget and your goals, but if you plan to stay in the small electric area, say 60" wing span and below, the Spektrum DX6 is an excellent choice. Not channel conflict issues.

Ifyou want to get into RC soaring, then you will be getting into planes that need more range. I fly 1-4 meter sailplanes with receiver that have 1 mile+ ranges, and you CAN fly a 4M plan at 1 mile. I have had 3M planes out past 3/4 mile.