I am thinking of getting a firebird II for the guys that come to the field with me and want to learn to fly. I just want to know how it gains altitude. Does it use themols like a glider or does it have a channel that controls an elevator of sorts. thanks for the help.

There's 3 or 4 variants of the Firebird on the market now. (and several clones of it...)
The basic 2 channel version uses throttle and rudder control. Increse throttle and it climbs, decrease throttle and it descends. Combining throttle and rudder you can get it to do some aerobatics.
The 3 channel version has elevator function in addition to the ruddder and throttle.

The radio range of the Firebird is VERY limited. (unless they have another version with a better radio than those I've seen...) The maximum reliable range is 250 ft. I've seen a Firebird get out of range... and the owner panic, give itt full throttle, so that evrey time it started to get back in range, it went higher... and further out of range due to the wind and the circling pattern of the flight.

I can't recommend this plane as something to use for giving demonstration flights to visitors to the field.

Take a look at the Firebird XL. We have a brand new review on it and it is a very capable little aircraft for its intended audience. You can find the review by clicking on the "Product Guide" button or by popping it up in a new window by clicking the link below:

Go to the review on our site