Helicopters are easier to learn without an instructor IMO because you can barely lift off the ground with no airspeed and just hover there until you gain confidence and skill. Of course that is simplified but to get a plane in the air you need ground speed which decreases reaction time. If you freak out with a heli a few inches off the ground chop the throttle and maybe you replace blades but probably no damage. A plane takes off and gets into the air, especially trainers, climb quick. If you freak out with a plane 15' off the ground you could get lucky and replace a propor end up with no plane. Adding the ground speed and the way a plane flies makes it more difficult to get in the air without instruction safely as a newbie.

I suppose even if you had a trainer on heli it would be tough for an instructor to "save" an out of whack heli. I guess it is just a totally different animal.


The grannies you talk about give good advice maybe could just say it less agressively and see other possibilties. They are trying to help but could be nicer about it. People come and go all the time because they try to learn on their own and wreck. Some people come on and say well i learned on my own. The people that tried to learn on their own and failed (a lot more than suceeded) aren't commenting because they quit RC.