hi, i would like to ask some question regarding the airplane for beginner.
my choices are: aerobird challenger, aerobird extreme, super decathlon, and Slo-V.
for your information, i'm totally newbie.
i know maybe aerobird extreme would be to fast for the beginner (540 motor), now i'm thinking the aerobird challenger and slo v because they have similar motor power (challenger-380, slo v-370).
my question is can slo v perform the aerobatic, or it just meant to be a slow flyer? (because i know aerobird challenger can do aerobatic fly)
so which one is the best of all?
could anyone recommend what are the advantage and disadvantage for those two products?
or would someone recommend me to start with extreme or decathlon?
thank you

Hands down I'd go with the Challenger. As I'm sure you've read, it's nice to have the prop in the back, so you don't have to replace an engine/prop every time you crash. (which you will... very easy to do. lol) Also, it won't be quite as touchy as the Decathelon as it's much smaller and a scale plane. This plane is a blast to fly, even for an advanced flyer. If you wanna move on to something more aerobatic, this will provide a great foundation to build on. ALSO, it has X-Port so you can attach the aerial drop module (loads of fun!) and the one for dogfighting (even more fun IMHO!) for when you get more used to the aircraft.

Anyway, that's what I'd do. Good luck and let us know what you get!

whats the different in flying for the plane with motor at the back and at the front?
can Slo V do any aerobatic?

milky,

I think Boss's recommendation is a good one. The ParkZone planes look and perform better because they are not meant for beginners. With the exception of the Slo-V, they are all scale models.

Hobby Zone (same company as ParkZone) uses a Z1 to Z3 skill rating. You can choose from the new Scout or the Firebird ST II or the Challenger for good first planes.

The advantage of these bird-like planes with the prop in the back is to keep you from breaking it on a crash or nose-in landing. The hard landings hit a rubber nose that absorbs most of the shock.

Good luck!

Milky, yes the Slo-V can do some aerobatics. With the controller switched to high rate it will loop very easily and it can fly upside down on short durations (I've got mine to fly to upside down for at least 8 seconds, although it doesn't really like to. You can see the wings shaking but it holds up pretty well). You can only do barrel rolls by bringing the plane VERY VERY VERY HIGH and diving. It will not barrel roll from level flight. Doing those things, however, puts a lot of strain on the main wing and will weaken it. You will find bigger and bigger creases near the wing braces the more you do them (if not from crashing). Fun to do, but I do them sparingly so I'm not buying a new wing every other week.

is it ok to start with aerobird challenger straight away, which is zone 2, and not start with zone 1? (as long as we use the standard mode)
or will someone say its ok to start even with aerobird extreme?
what is the major difference between challenger and extreme? they have exactly the same features, just different wing span. what are the other differences?

or is it just marketing strategies for hobbyzone to increase sales? (the zone 1-2-3)

Milky..aslo take a good look at the T-HAWK...RTF...its at readytoflyfun.com...for under$150..you get 1 of the best rtf around..that flys right out of the box with no modifications needed...it wil do 0-20 mph if you want..some aerobatics..and it als will thermal fantaastically..oh ..1 other imprtant thing...you get ..AN EXTRA WING/RUDDER/TAIL/BATTERY/PROPS...along with a charger...its a deal thats hard to beat...and even advanced flyers still fly their t-hawk on windy days..when other planes cant fly...check it out..

the Extreme is much heavier and more powerful so therefore a bit harder to fly. It comes in pretty fast when landing and will not glide as well as the Challenger. I would recommend the Challenger for a first plane as its 3 channel unlike the Scout. If you got a 2 channel you would bore of it and want a 3 channel soon after.

Hi Milky,

Here's a visual example of Slo-V aerobatics. Just to extend my previous reply to you, besides putting the control on Mode B, put the clevis on the inner holes (I have mine on the second from the innermost). That will increase the surface movement. Get used to it first before you get crazy. It makes the controls very sensistive. Other than that my Slo-V uses stock motor and stock 7.2V battery.

[link=http://users.cwnet.com/dhsc19/Slo_V_Aerobatics.wmv]Slo-V aerobatics video[/link]

Non-pertinant, but you might enjoy this one anyway...

[link=http://users.cwnet.com/dhsc19/Beaver_Crash.wmv]GWS Beaver runs out of battery[/link]

I found that the Extreme can glide a lot better than the challenger since my brother had the challenger,and unfortunatly lost it,but before that we bought the extreme,its a lot faster so its harder to fly. I am a beginner and i have a go on it,its too fast for me.so i would go for the Challenger or the T-hawk as thats what im doing.

I have had all of the zone 1's through zone 3 planes from hobbyzone. Its definitely not just a marketing gimmick as these planes definitely are meant for different skill levels. I started with a firebird commander but now that they are offering the scout I would start with that one before going to a 3 channel. That scout will give you some cheaper experience because if you are like me you will go through more than one of them before you get the hang of things and are ready to move up to a 3 channel such as the challenger or xtreme. I still fly both the xtreme and challenger regularly and their fun value hasn't worn out yet. One suggestion, unless you have someone that will be flying with you and you will be accumulating multiple hobbyzone/parkzone planes, I buy all of them on the same frequency so I can take the whole fleet out but only carry the one transmitter. Also if you ever decide to get into aerial photography the xtreme can carry a full size digital camera with ease so its a nice one to have.

I started out on the Scout. It is still the only plane I own besides a Wattage Micro Flyer. (sadly, my WMF is in the hospital and I will have to pull out the soldering iron soon) I agree when Area51 said you would go through multiple planes. I have gone through 2 Scouts so far. I'm going to get a Challenger soon.

A very good choice, but consider the new Aerobird 3. You'll eventually desire "the need for speed" with something like a Typhoon, Stryker or Ducted Fan ARF, but you will always find the need to occasionally fly this plane with its X-port accessories.