Well, I still have only flown in Real Flight but I am apparently already the man to ask about RC planes among my freinds, haha.

I know someone who wants to buy their retired Air Force father a plane. His father lives in the country and will learn to fly it himself in a nearby field. He will never go to an airfield and considers learning to fly the plane himself to be half of the fun of getting one. I was thinking some type of foam electric plane would be the best choice for him, but I am really just guessing with my limited experience.

What he wants is a complete RTF package with 4-channels, that is durable and/or VERY easily repairable. He is hoping to find something at around $250. Do any of you experts know of any particularly good planes to fit these circumstances?

As long as he considers repair and replacement with much down-time the other half of the fun he'll be OK.

I like the RCM 40 Trainer as a good ARF. Don't know from electrics.

Yes, that is exactly it. He knows he will damage the plane early on. He lives in the country and part of the appeal too him is to be able to walk out of his back door and fly the plane essentially in his backyard (really, the endless plains of Colorado which begin at the end of his backyard). So he is looking for something that is easy to repair, which is why I had been thinking a foam plane would be good for him.

So we are looking for some type of electric foam plane that would be good for him, a 4-channel RTF with everything he needs for around $250. I could look on internet, but I am hoping that there is some "classic" plane that fits this bill that the more expeirenced people could recommend.

Hmmm...What about the Aircore trainer? I hear they're virtually indestructable. But i dont have experience with one.

From what I've seen, the Hobbyzone Super Cub is a good RTF foam plane for beginners. It's only a 3-channel, though, (throttle, rudder, elevator). The pod & boom planes with pusher props seem to be pretty good for beginners as well, when you nose them in, you don't damage the motor & prop like you do with traditional front mount motors. The Aerobird 3 and the Aerobird Swift fall into this category, they are both three channel as well, but the swift has ailerons/elevator controls, while the Aerobird 3 has rudder/elevator.

Here's Horizon's page with all of these planes listed:

http://www.horizonhobby.com/Stores/P...52&BrandId=HBZ

I can appreciate him wanting to learn to fly by himself, and I'm sure someone will recommend a decent park flyer in his price range - I couldn't tell you which is best to learn on. I CAN tell you that it is NOT the Aerobird Swift.

I would advise him not to dismiss the idea of going to a flying field too quickly, simply due to the social aspects of hanging out with the old timers at the field. While it would be fun to be able to fly right out your back door, it is also fun to hang around the field and listen to a bunch of old guys complain and tease each other. Oh yeah, they also give you great advice when you need it.

Good luck to him

Yes, the Swift is meant for more advanced pilots, I only mentioned it because he was looking for a 4-channel plane, implying aileron control.

GWS Slow stick? Does it come RTF?

I'd recommend looking at the Hobbico Flyzone Cessna 182 4-channel RTF package:

http://www.flyzoneplanes.com/airplanes/hcaa23.html

It's a nice complete package for around $150 and includes aileron control. Your friends' father might even appreciate the scale appearance. I believe this model is included with Real Flight G3.5 to try out, as well.

I disagree. I taught myself how to fly. You just have to pic the right planes with the right equipment and set it up correctly. I feel the most difficult thing about learning to fly yourself is there is NO place to sufficiently take off and land. I learned on a 2 lane road. When i fiinally moved to a designated flying field with a huge runway it was quite the difference.

That looks really good, BigEd. Is it foam? Or if not, is it easy to repair non-catastrophic damage too it? That Cessna looks like exactly what he his looking for as long as it is durable and/or easy to make repairs on.

From what I've seen, the Hobbyzone Super Cub seems to fly better than the Flyzone Cessna. In general, the Hobbyzone planes seem to fly better than the Flyzone planes.

GOOD POINT. I WOULD SAY GO TO A CLUB FOR AT LEAST THE FIRST 10-20 FLIGHTS SO YOU HAVE AN IDEA OF WHAT TO EXPECT ON YOUR OWN. EVEN IF IT IS OUT OF YOUR WAY. YOU'LL SAVE MONEY AND ENJOY IT MORE IN THE LONG RUN.

THEHobby Zone cub mentioned or the Park Zone j-3 cub are all very good .begginer models & fly well & easy to repair . very hard to hurt over tall grass.. 4 channels really requires instructor help in nearly evey case. THATS why in the gas only days -we started with 3 channel trainers . much easier to fly & stay out of major trouble with, at least untill you get the hang of things (which DOES NOT improve with age).IMHO he is trying to start with too advanced a bird for his skills & age .