I noticed an advert from Hobby Lobby above this discussion group refering to beginners, it said "click here for more information". Well when you click the add the link takes you right to a ARF pattern ship. This is hardly something a beginner should be lead to. A beginner is just not prepared for this type of aircraft and will most likely trash it promptly.

Any opinions on this?

Ads that are displayed are not specifically targeted at beginners. Remember, there are those who answer the questions of beginners and the product being advertised may well be suitable for those modelers.

Light, that ad was specifically targeted at beginners, the ad read in big letters "beginners click here" then it took you to an ARF pattern ship. The ad cought my eye right before I bought my trainer about a month ago. Good thing I didnt take the advise. Very odd choice to show to beginners.

chris

No, a pattern ship is not a good plane for beginners. Better suited as a second plane for a very quick learner or a third plane for most.

It concerns me that Hobby shops (both web based and local) make such recommendations, but I'm not surprised. Their main goal is to sell equipment and make a profit. Their secondary goal is to help the buyer to have an enjoyable hobby experience. This is not the first example of clearly bad advice from a hobby shop and I'm sure it won't be the last.

Beginners are much better off looking for advice from existing RC pilots, such as at their local club or on forums like this (RCU.) You may get a zillion answers, but they will be driven by the desire to make a beginners first RC experience enjoyable as opposed to being driven by profits.

Cheers

Seems to me I clicked that link some time ago and it did lead to a very good section for beginners. Some meatball that knows more about computers than planes must have changed it.