well I've had the aerobird challenger for about 3 weeks now flying in all sorts of conditions and into two trees. let my add this my very first RC plane. i figure if i get out there and experience the wind now id get that much better sooner. lots of controlled crashes and all out lawn darting the thing and making all the newbie mistakes, i have sustained very little damage. well today i folded the wing trying to do a loop into a 10-15mph wind(not really smart). not bad for 3 weeks of intense punishment!!
now on the other hand my brother just went and got the aerobird extreme. he too is a first time flier. he's had his plane for a short time now (2 days) first flight was a ground take off. i was very surprised for how big this plane is and how good it took off for this first timer! he did very good with it till it came to turning it around, to my surprise he brought it out of a nose dive to land it pretty gently. the next flight wasn't so good. well the flight was good the two hours getting it out of a tree wasn't. that is where the first modification would come in. the front nose of this plane is rubber like foam, it comes off after first nose dive(need to find a way too secure it better,some kind of epoxy?) next problem, like i said this plane is bigger which means bigger wing surfaces. so what i noticed after he went through two tails and a wing is that since the tail is bigger there is allot more stress at the brace (the black v-shape thing that holds the tail on) and the tail kept creasing there. cause of that happening the first time was, he was coming in on a good landing (little fast )and the nose grabbed the ground and did like a flip over to the tail.(not a uncommon landing for me) need to find a way to support that tail more before it gets a chance to crease there. the wing problem was more or less hes newbie mistake. he made a turn too low to the ground and the wing touched and got pulled back enough to where the prop took a nice bite out of it. i don't know if this is right but i told him if he fore see's a crash like that happening-- cut the throttle

i know mine the challenger is a zone 2 and my brothers is a zone 3 but that being the only difference besides size they both fly real similar. but when it comes to learning i can all ready see the aerobird was the right way to go. i just hate to tell my brother that. I'm sure he knows. he has seen the crashes i get away with he goes and ends up doing the same thing and walks away having to replace something. just hope what the hobby shop told me wasn't true...the aerobird extreme was brought out to discontinue the aerobird. if this is true, IMO get the aerobird before its gone cause the extreme will cost you more in the long run with its easy wing breakage. the bird really take a licking and keeps on ticking!
oh and just to make the post longer let me add the I'm just putting this in as a beginner to another beginner.beginners don't like problem after problem and want something to take the newbie abuse. anyone every check out those combat wings? i just ordered that as my second plane.i let you all know how that goes too.

You do realize, of course, that you don't have to replace with new each and every time something minor breaks on the plane. Part of the hobby is learning to fix non-fatal damage. Sure, new wings and tails are relatively cheap, but when you move up into the larger more expensive planes, are you going to spend $50+ for new wings every time you put a little ding on one?

Get yourself a tube of 5 minute epoxy from the paint and adhesive aisle and a roll of packing tape from the stationery aisle at Wal-Mart. These will be your two best friends for reinforcing and repairing foamie planes.

Let's take that prop strike for example. Your brother didn't need to replace the wing if all it did was take a small chunk out of the trailing edge. Simply lay a piece of tape on the bottom of the wing, put the chunks back in, then lay another piece of tape over the top of the wing. Good as new.

I have a Challenger and agree with Matt there. I carry strapping tape as part of my repair kit. Use the kind that has the strings in it. You can start by applying them in long strips lengthwise on the underside of the wing. I was under the impression the Xtreme had a carbon fiber rod in it for reinforcement...so the tape might be redundant. But I use it on my AB Challenger and watch with joy as I pull loops and the wing doesn't fold. Also follow Matt's instructions on the wing repair. I have to say that I wouldn't have recommended the Xtreme as a first plane. That huge wing could prove unstable in decent winds. Plus I imagine that plane cruises even faster than the AB with that faster motor. Remember, altitude is your friend. Cruise @ slower speeds and perhaps stick to belly landings and hand launches until you are comfortable with the plane. These are much easier to handle and if you land in the grass...much softer and a little less concern over lining up your landings. I'm not sure the AB Challenger would be discontinued for a while...plus parts should be around for a long time as well. The Firebird has been around for quite sometime and you can still get parts for it even though HobbyZone moved onto the Firebird II and XL.
Just tell him to take 'er slow and steady and not try too many ROG (rise off ground) takeoffs or landings for a while until he gets good at bellying her in. Smooth and steady......
now where did I put that strapping tape?!

ya ill have to tell my brother about what you guys are saying. watching him lean how to fly makes me laugh. and if i could laugh and make it cheaper for him to learn, that would make him feel a little bit better. he got the extreme to be one up on me. plus i'd get to rag on him more for having a taped up plane! (at least it'll fly)i see it now...him taping his plane up and me telling him !QUOT!man, you mise well glue some sticks and plastic bags together and it would look better than that!QUOT! we like talking trash to each other. a little brotherly love. as far as the damages. the prop problem took out a piece as round as a coke can and how would you brace the v tail from creasing all the time? as far as this post goes tho i just put it up to show that if your beginning IMO go with the challenger. its just that more is going wrong with his then i ever had to deal with. its just funny that where we fly is a huge park and the only cement is a 4 foot wide track that outlines the park and every time my brother loses control he always finds that cement to land on!
would the same be true for my folded wing too? can you fix that in the same manner?
wind does throw his around alot more than my AB but on calm days his way out performs mine such as in turns and things. me being comfortable with the AB the speed of the extreme wasn't really to much more to handle than the AB.

The Aerobird Xtreme is not intended to replace the AB Challenger.

The Xtreme is intended for experienced HBZ (and other) pilots wanting to move up a bit (More Speed, Power, Handles more wind, wider speed range). (Hence, Zone 3)
The Challenger is lighter and slower, and therefore, takes bad crashes better (hence, Zone 2).

David

Glad i read your post. I was trying to decide between the Extreem and the ABC. I decided to go with the challenger for now. Feel for your brother but, having one of them myself enjoy the ribbing .