I'm a teacher at a highschool with 10 students in a new "Aviation" club. I'm a newbie myself (have private pilot license and glider license
but not much experience with RC), so this is a real adventure!!

They have started with parkflyer electric ARFs - Decathlons, J3 Cubs, an Aerobird Challenger.
These have proved to be OK except our school fields are a bit small and have tall trees around the outside ...
see my posting, "stuck in a tree" ha ha
We may soon have another place to fly that's giant! but it takes 20 minutes to get there which would eat into our time.
Plus there's a bull in the field!

I'm looking for help selecting their next models. I have specified they must take more skill/art to build....
I've suggested 20-40hrs, balsa and monocote. If it takes longer than we have, some kids
said they'd be happy to continue building after school's out.

They've been interested in several so far (aside from some hot fighters!!)

House of Balsa Electric Acro Cub Schoolyard Kit 52.5"
Miss Stik Razor Cut Kit 55"
Great Planes ElectriFly ElectriCUB Kit 58.75"

My questions:

Are these suitable? I suspect from what I've been reading
from some Backyard Flyer mags a friend gave me
that they're a bit big and heavy to fly safely in the school baseball/rugby field.
But what do I know, I'm pretty new!

What is the quality of these kits?

If not suitable, where can I look for other kits better suited for small fields?

What wing loading, weight, and power guidelines would be good?
I've suggested less than 13 oz/sqft, less than 400 speed electric, and less than 4 lb overall weight
as a starting guideline that I'll modify as I learn more.

For next year, I might consider indoor electrics.
I'll go read the forum on that now

-Carrie
-Stick forward, houses bigger. Stick back, houses smaller. Then bigger again.