I found this site and thought I'd send a quick question. I'm looking to get an electric airplane. I have very limited flying time, but I don't want to buy a piece of junk. I want to get something that is capable of speed and some stunts. Here is one that I'm considering. Please give me your advice. What would you buy? I'm looking to spend $300.00 or less. Thank you!!

P51 Mustang
$320.00
RCH-P51MUSTANG
The venerable North American P-51D Mustang ,which totally dominated the skies of WWII, needs no introduction. But now you can introduce your own P-51 fighter into the skies of the neighborhood softball field —in just minutes!
Megatech ’s fully assembled P-51 is not a toy plane, but a mini radio controlled model with fully proportional controls on all 3-channels (rudder, elevator and throttle). Hobby grade features include:

Speed 400 motor driven ball-bearing gear-reduction drive
Super tuff PolyStress Nylolene fuselage
True airfoil wing with bi-level construction and reflex
Stall resistant tips which give excellent slow flight characteristics
Flight Time: 8 to 10 minutes
Charge Time: 30 minutes
Range: 1500 feet
Requirements: 8 “AA ” alkaline batteries


Rich Lee

Your profile shows no experience. Based on that I'd say get a high wing, and learn to control it before you try a fast low wing fighter type scale plane. If you really have no experience, That P51 will last you about 5 seconds[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-sad.gif[/img]
I'm not one to recommend a specific plane, but advise you to shop, make notes, compare wing-loading (Heavy wing loading means FAST!) Wing loading is the number of ounces per square foot of wing. 8oz. per sq ft is nice.
11 or above starts to get fast. Get something you will enjoy, then look for the challenge of a scale fighter[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

Read the complete pilot report on this plane in the current (May 2003) issue of Backyard Flyer magazine, then see if you are ready to fly this plane.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

im fairly new to this hobby and want to make a suggestion. the firebird xl is one of the best trainers. with its fiberglass fuselage and styrofoam wing and tail its almost immposible to cause serious damage. this was my first plane and it really brought me into the hobby. you can get replacement parts and the cost is very cheap(around $120) it has a 380 motor which makes hand launches easy and ground launches short and fast. i have had it up in the air for about 20-30 minutes. (you can buy extra battery packs for about $25). the firebird can do some of the minor stunts. this is a great plane for a biggner.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img]

MATT, You have my vote![img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-smile.gif[/img] I flew my XL as high as I could, and let it glide back down. Long glides!
Do you mean yours takes off from ground well? Mine did too, but some guys have trouble on ROG launches.
One problem is it teaches you to hold the turn, but when you fly ailerons you want to keep holding the turn and it will not work. I'm looking forward to getting another XL, because it is so much fun. Mine got so high I lost sight of it and have not seen it since. CLUE: if you have any problems with it, go to Horizon Hobby with your complaint. They take care of their customers[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-happy.gif[/img]

A possibility one might look into is the three channel Aerobird RTF from hobyzone/horizon.
It's like a three channel Firebird XL. $ 169.00 is a reasonable price for a RTF that performs as advertised.
Also, replacement parts are easy to get .

As a guy that has got into this hobby the completely wrong way, let me share my thoughts.   The Firebird XL to me, didnt work well.  Without a fuselage, you dont get the right characteristics or having just a stick in the middle connecting two ends really isnt an accurate representation of how you probably hope for fly.  Having owned one, I know. 

My suggestion is the Parkzone Super Decathlon.  What an amazing plane.   Its brushless, (c'mon even the newbies want to say they are brushless) and its a fast 370 outrunner.  However, it is a medium size trainer somewhere something the size of a Parkzone Vapor and a Hobbico Nexstar.  I also own them, well I ditched the Vapor and am training with a trainer on my Nexstar.  I disabled the flight stabilization system .  Anyway, back to my point.  Oh, also, a Mini Super Cub is also an amazing like park trainer similar to the Decathlon but I dig the Super Decathlon because you can fly slow and lumber or drop the hammer and get yourself out of trouble and/or have some fun.  Now, the Decathlon and Mini Super Cub are both flown from the rear of the plane, they only have rudder and elevator controls.  

Next, go for the Eflite Apprentice.  Hell it comes with a DX5 TX however it is 300 buck.  But, then you incorporate ailerons into your flying.  Next, go for Hobbico Nexstar.  AS A SUGGESTION, disable or have someone that knows planes, disable that flight control crap.  It doesnt work well on that plane, although in the super cub I had it actually did well but not the Nexstar.  Either way, If you're at that level, I'm assuming you're at a flying field and are working with a trainer.  You and him/her want you to learn to fly without anything except him/her helping you.  While you are correcting your but off, that flight stabilization crap is doing something else and you and it and steppign all over each other sprialing the Airplane into the ground.   the Eflite 450 which I would buy from someone in a heartbeat if anyone has one for sale just because I think they are really cool, is also a good, accurate trainer that is a smaller representation of what you're going to be moving up too. 

I recently trashed my Decathlon so I took the electronics out of it and make my SLO-V a brushless camera plane also.  Pretty cool.  Additionally, I bought a Parkzone T-28 as a plane to "warm up" to fly my Nexstar with my trainer.  Its a styrofoam plane but has all the fundamental flight controls, well minus flaps and retracts but I consider those "advanced".  Also, It has a brushless 480.  I flew it in 12 MPH sustained winds today with my little camera attached to it.  Wish I knew how to load that somewhere.  Anyway, it did get blown around but with its power, I could haul ***** going downwind then do half a loop, flip it over and with limited throttle just sit there and climb by really just using the elevator. 

I'm a wounded Soldier at Walter Reed and belong to Free State Aeromodelers in Laurel, MD, right outside of DC where I'm recovering at Walter Reed.  I've have or do own all Eflite/Horizon Hobby planes and Helis.  If there is anything I can do feel free to holla.  [email protected] or todd dot landen at us dot army dot mil. 

MMM, this thread is almost 8 years old. We didn't even have lipo's or 2.4ghz systems that long ago!

Well this is not quite ready to fly but almost. Vary slow flying, 48" for size and overhead wing.
And you can have it with all the stuff or receiver ready.
They are pretty popular right now.

http://www.flyzoneplanes.com/airplanes/hcaa2527/

Here's a little video of it:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0vj97FfL4B4

On edit, I did not realize this was 8 years old!