I am new enough in this hobby that you might call me an advanced beginner. I started out the traditional way with RTF/ARF trainers...first the Nexstar (which you can still see small splinters of off the threshold of the runway[&o]) and the Tower Hobbies .40 trainer. Both A/C flew well, but were very fragile. Hold the plane at the wrong spot and you could hear the cracking of the balsa wood. Land a little bit too fast, and the gear either splayed out or ripped the mounting from the belly. Oh, and don't get me started about the Monocote film flapping in the breeze as the plane flew by...

I built a Debonair by the book, other than to have no dihedral in the wing, along with a RNAF wing. I was a first time builder of SPADs, and there was nothing that was complicated, and in many ways was much easier that assembling the RTFs/ARFs before. For example, how hard is it to zip-tie a battery or servo instead having to mount a plate and screw in those teeny, tiny screws in a restricted area? Hinging control surfaces? One slice with a blade and you were done! Completely total the wing? Build another in one day for about 10 bucks! The Debonair flies every bit as good as either of the two trainers that I have had, especially in weather conditions that ground those who are afraid to hear the crunching of the balsa.

Why do I fly SPADs? Two reasons--they are utterly repairable and you can make mistakes (and plenty of them) and the airplane WILL STILL FLY!!! I can't tell you how many times I have dumb-thumbed the SPAD into the ground, and the worst thing that has happened is that I have had to replace a nylon bolt for the landing gear. I don't do it because it's cheaper, I fly SPADs so I can fly more often!