The original Hobbyzone Super Cub model HBZ7100 is your best bet for many reasons, some previously stated, here are a few more. (These apply to the larger Super Cub ONLY not the new mini Super Cub which is not nearly as good a plane.)

1. The Super Cub is made of a very durable foam that takes crashes very well and if broken is very easy to repair with glue, tape or both, hot melt glue works well.

2. The Super Cub wing is made out of foam that is about 1 1/2 inches thick at it's thickest point. This means that when it breaks there will be enough surface area to glue it back together. Other RTF planes use a different type of foam with a thin covering of plastic film. Their wing is usually only 3/16" think or so at it's thickest point. If you break it you will have a very difficult time repairing it, there just isn't enough meat to glue to.

3. The Super Cub fuselage is made out of thick foam that is easy to repair. In addition you can replace the fuselage for about $20.00 and just move your radio stuff to the new fuselage. Many RTF planes do NOT have this capability. A fuselage replacement for most other RTF planes include the receiver and servos, pushing the cost up close to the purchase cost of the entire airplane. Many other RTF planes are a pod and boom type affair. Break the boom and you will have to replace the fuselage. Very difficult to repair the boom.

4. The Super Cub is a great flyer! Yes it's only three channels but it is a very well designed 3 channel plane and is very maneuverable and fun to fly. It doesn't need ailerons!

5. Later you can add ailerons and a brushless motor if you wish. It will fly even better. But most people have so much fun with the plane the way it is that they don' bother changing it.

6. The Super Cub has a steerable tail wheel! You can taxi up to your feet after a successful flight!

7. The Super Cub can accept different modules. Combat module, aerial drop module and night flight module, pretty cool!

8. There is tons of information and videos concerning this plane. Some have been flown from water with floats and some from snow with skis. Very cool.

As to flight times, expect 10 to 14 minutes, depending on how you run the motor. Yes you can fit an 8 cell battery in the plane's battery compartment but the stock charger is only rated for 7 cells. You will need a different charger if you want to use the 8 cell battery. The plane will not fly much faster with the larger battery but will climb better. If you want more speed try putting a shim under the trailing edge of the wing. Try 1/8 inch at a time. I find 1/4 inch works well for me.

The Super Cub is really a great RTF plane that is tough enough to teach you and your friends to fly. Buy one right away and be sure to buy plenty of props and cowls as these are the items that tend to break when you crash.

Before you buy something else find out how repairable the plane is, ask a few questions. Can it be glued back together easily, is the foam thick enough to hold the glue, can you replace the fuselage without replacing the radio stuff, does it have a difficult to repair boom, does it have a steerable tail wheel?

It's a great hobby and my guess is that you will discover other people in your area that want to fly too. You may be surprised.