Hi Xantos - sorry about your loss!

This is going to be interesting to watch!Probably end up in a JR/Futaba showdown which is not what you want. Your question was "2.4Ghz - is it reall ready for Hobby use?"

The answer is yes. I was one of the sceptic's about 2.4 because it is really an unregulated environment and a "free for all". Since its inception here, I have only seen 2 incidents of radio loss on 2.4, they were neither JR or Futababut anaftermarket add-on. These guys had no problem at their club but only at one location. So out of around more than 3000 flights, 2 failures 99.93% reliability on 2.4 GHz. If we stick to JR/Futaba, I have not seen one in 2 years - 100%. I am not referring to park flyers but on jets and large scale(where my main interest lies).

Reliability of radio systems also depend on the right installation procedures. Extensive ground tests with motor/turbine running are essential.

If I were to buy another radio now, I would go 2.4GHz. I still fly my JR 53 mHz stuff which has been trouble free for 16 years now. I am slowly converting my jets to 2.4GHz now because 53 is no longer freely available now. Sad to see my favorite JRPCM 10X lying in the cupboard now. Anyway, need to try and understand Futaba un-logic now!