I too have had one for years, and while it hasn't flown much, it does very very well. My only complaint is the wire landing gear is wobbly on rough surfaces. That sounds like he didn't do a very good job building it. H9 is not know for selling junk. I've had the P-40, the Funtana 90 and a few others, all good planes. I wouldn't knock an entire line of planes just because your friend had issues. It could be as simple as one plane on a line that didn't get enough glue, or improper assembly. Either way, probably not the plane's fault.