ORIGINAL: rcfllyer
I am a new pilot and i want to start this hobby i like planes and helis(planes more) and i wanted to know what to do. i cant spend very much money and i was planning on spending less than 100 dollars. The two planes i am looking at now are the slow-v and the firebird phantom. they both seem like good planes but istill would like to know what you think.
The Firebird Phantom is a great flying little plane, you'd be hard pressed to do better for $59! Be sure to reinforce the tail boom with some carbon fiber rod and thread/floss & CA where the control lines come out, it has been known to break there pretty easily in a crash. Also be sure to disable the "anti-crash" electronics, as it seems to do more harm than good.
I've never flown a Slow-V, but I've heard good things about it, and have heard several guys have learned to fly on one.
Both of these planes are rudder/elevator controlled only (V-tail acts like rudder & elevator), they don't have ailerons. While this makes it less likely that a beginner will accidentally find himself inverted and get into trouble, this also makes them much less maneuverable than a plane with ailerons. If you can save up around $300+ and get a larger 4 channel trainer (with throttle, aileron, elevator & rudder control), and get an experienced pilot to help you out, you won't get board with it as quickly. Tower Hobbies and Horizon both have 4-channel nitro and electric powered RTF trainer packages starting at around $300.