I personally am finding the DX-7 very adequate as a radio to grow with. I bought it with just that intent. Especially for the price. I started out with few basic 4 channel airplanes, and now have a couple of 5 channel airplanes and as of this week I'm using the helicopter stuff on my new t-rex. This radio has a lot of features for the price not to mention the reduced hassle and safety (debatable of course, but I've had no mishaps on 6 aircraft) of 2.4Ghz. Just keep those Rx batteries charged and maybe even use 6v packs on high value airplanes. I highly recommend the DX-7.