ORIGINAL: bigedmustafa
I'd recommend looking at the Hobbico Flyzone Cessna 182 4-channel RTF package:
http://www.flyzoneplanes.com/airplanes/hcaa23.html
It's a nice complete package for around $150 and includes aileron control. Your friends' father might even appreciate the scale appearance. I believe this model is included with Real Flight G3.5 to try out, as well.
That looks really good, BigEd. Is it foam? Or if not, is it easy to repair non-catastrophic damage too it? That Cessna looks like exactly what he his looking for as long as it is durable and/or easy to make repairs on.