Is the Fire Bird worth the money for a starter plane or is it trash? What would be a good starter plane?

Try the Aerobird Challenger model. It has 3 channels instead of the two channels the Firebird has. I had the Firebird first, then built a delta winged ailevon controlled plane. Friend who started flying with me bought an Aerobird. I liked his so much I bought one myself. It's tough and can take a beating (which it will get if you're a beginner). Hobbyzone now makes the Aerobird Extreme but it is only larger and heavier than the Aerobird Challenger. The challenger fits in a box that you can carry around in your car--it is a great package--especially for the price.

Can the Aerobird Challenger ground start or do you throw it like the Fire Bird?

It will ground start but has no steering on ground until you get enough speed for the elevons to have effect. It has "snap in" landing gear. You can land it too -- good practice for landing if wind is low. You have to be aware it's a light plane and can be affected by the wind. Once experienced you can fly it in 10-12 mph winds, however, taking off and landing with high winds is really tricky. The landing gear snaps off and you can hand launch it and glide it in to slick landings (I've even cought it by hand).

Firebird is junk. Go with the Aerobird.

Bought the Firebird for my son last summer.......he flew it twice and hated it. Have it and all accessories sitting in a box in basement collecting dust.