DanaWatson

I have been looking at these plane all day! and I have come down to these planes. Please do not suggest any other plane unless it is lightweight (low impact when I crash) and under $125. (like these - its all I got!) I know a lot you think these are junk, but I got to start somewhere. Thanks for your help!!!

Dana

BJAZ

Not an expert but...

Slow Stick

darrell_f

My Feedback: (2)

Hate to suggest that you start over, but SLOW STICK. Save a little more money and get the Slow Stick with a radio and flight pack that you can grow with.

Darrell

shams42

My Feedback: (1)

If you are considering the Firebird, you might want to just step up to the Aerobird Challenger. Its three channels and full v-tail mixing in pro mode make it much more fun to fly than the Firebird. You can get them from RCBoyz.com for $115. Shipping was $15.

HOWEVER, I'd steer you toward the slow stick or something similar. The Aerobird is just too frustrating. Low quality parts. The worst thing is the way the control surfaces are pulled by fishing line. They have a rubber band on the bottom to return the control surfaces to the neutral position, but this is very unreliable. One of the rubber band mounts for the main wing broke off before its first flight. A control horn broke off on on of the control surfaces in flight causing me to almost lose the plane on the 3rd or 4th time out.

I put my Aerobird through some tough times. After one bad crash, the plane never was the same. It became harder to control with each flight. Finally I decided to order a replacement fuselage. I've rebuilt the plane and will be giving it to my dad as a Christmas present. I am going to build a Dandy Sport over the break and learn to fly a four channel plane.

I can't complain, because I bought the Aerobird to see if R/C flight was something that I'd enjoy and want to invest more heavily in. It was more fun that I ever could have imagined, and I have no doubt about my desire to take this hobby to the next level. I do sometimes wish that I'd just gone ahead and spent more money up front and bought a slow stick instead of the Aerobird.

Regardless, you will have a great time with whatever you choose. Good luck, and let us know what you decide.

Matt

Airborne 2007

The Aerobird is a lot better than that, mine is anyway. You do have to do some mods to make the plane a little better. There are some weak areas and if you crash bad enough will cause the plane to fly bad. But if you do some mods it WILL prevent them and it will fly great for a long time. I have around 15 flights on mine, and I've driven it into the ground bad a couple times but it still looks like new. One of those was into a snow drift (should have had a bigger field with more snow on the end away from the trees) and all that broke was the skis. And i hand made those out of some balsa and the plastic off 1 gal. milk jugs. However, if you are going to stay in this hobby and will be wanting a few different planes along the way, I would suggest to get a 4-6 ch. radio and get a slow stick or tiger moth. I have heard great reviews of those two planes.

-John

foreverNight

get the challenger. if you want a 2 ch fly out of the box plane. people suggest the slow stick but, i dont know much about them.
other than you have to buy stuff seperatly to fly it. If you do get a challenger be sure to reinforce the motor with a zip tie before you fly, there are many posts with pics that show you how to do this its very easy. the challenger is a good trainer but, be patient and fly with very little wind and in a large open area. I learned with the firebird series and i think they are great to learn on. good luck have fun!

goofup

You've only got $125 to put in the hobby?
You admit that most of us consider either of these planes junk?

This is so wrong on so many levels.....

DanaWatson

I said I only had $125 to spend, but I meant I only have $125-$150 to crash straight into the ground!

Also, I said that most would think it was junk because most have flown better crafts, have had more experience, and would recommend I buy a more expensive model plane that I can upgrade. But if I end up not liking the sport, upgrading would not be what I wanted to do. I just want a taste - to see if I want to order the meal - to see if I want to request the whole course - to see if I will be buying the entire restraunt!

That's my reasoning for starting small. Most want to sell you what THEY have... I'm more intersted in what is better for me, right now, and the rest will follow.

Dana

jatoo

Go for 3ch

west black

freedom flyer is really good! it makes a good glider too! i just flew it yesterday!

goofup

Shams42 said it very well.

One of the hardest decisions a beginner has to make is whether to waste the money on a bicycle so he can try and get a taste of what it's like to ride a motorcycle. Been there, done that, and it was a huge waste of time, money, and effort. I learned more in one day flying my Tiger Moth than I did flying my T-Hawk 10. My Tiger Moth is still flying great and is still a ball to fly. My T-Hawk bit the dust long time ago (and, yea, I think it's a better much plane than any of the Aerobirds...)

If you want to start off right, but not spend a lot of money, get a $35 Slow Stick, a $90 Hitec Focus 3 radio combo, a couple of batteries, and a charger for about $35. You'll have 2-3 times the plane, thats 2-3 times the fun, 2-3 times easier to learn on, and will do 2-3 as much as any of the Aerobirds, all of it reusable in your next plane!

It's your decision, but I'd sure give it some thought....

west black

No time to waste! just get the slow stick if thats the case!

raggedman

i had excellent sucess with an e-starter...but not till i had mastered the slow stick...my firbird was a 2 day distraction, but my slow stick lasted a whole season of learning, and my new e-starter is a dream to fly

Dr.Watson

My Feedback: (10)

slow stick

Jagzilla

GWS Beaver
J

Troglotech

I would have to say that I think the Challenger is a great place to start. A bit more....er...challenging than the Commander but a darn sight more robust compared to the Extreme. Although the analogy of buying a bicycle against a motorbike holds some truth I think there are lessons you need to learn on a bicycle before you stuff your Harley into the first tree!

The beauty of the Challenger is that it can be as docile as any trainer but can be extensively modified to produce a reasonably acrobatic performer. However, its main attribute is that (modded as found on this Forum) it is a tough as nails and will happily bounce around the park all day without the need to 'buy a new one'.

Although it doesn't go as fast as some and may be seen as a bit of a toy, I must admit I have had a good year of flying this in all weathers and have learned a lot.....and most importantly....had a lot of fun!

P.S. I must admit it is looking a bit...er...modified....but it flies great!

norvelnut

Slow Stick!!!!!

Phenom

Slo V by park zone. RTF in less than the time it takes to charge the battery. It is the same size as the slow stick but has a V tail. It is my first plain and has been great so far. Also replacement parts are cheep.

Fisher

I purchased a Slo-V last fall because i wanted a plane that would fly like a real 3 chanel plane and not cost me extra money and time putting all the pieces together. Had it in the air on my first try and have been flying and crashing it ever since. It is a no wind plane but very fun to fly at night with the night flight module. I think it gives you the full RC flying experience without having to invest too much time or money in something you may not end up liking over the long haul. I am sold on the hobby now.

Download the FMS flight simulator and the Slo-V model, Slow Stick and any other plane you might be considering and fly them around the screen a while. Not a perfect match but it will give you a sense of flight characteristics. Keep you from doing too much damage to your first plane.

Good Luck. Whatever you decide you will have fun and lots of crashes.

yamakawazuki

My Feedback: (1)

i have the freedom flyer. it flies well, but may be a bit fast for a first plane

Rat1

Seems someone brought up a very old thread but what the hey. 6 months ago I would have said ParkZone Slo V or J3 Cub btu I find the Mountain Models Magpie to surpass anything else I have flown as a beginner model that will grow with the user. It can be purchased with two dif wings. One is a slow fly wing with lots of dihedreal and no ailerons or the sport wing with less dihedreal and ailerons. It uses a very inexpensive GWS 350C drive system and will haul up most any battery you can strap to it. It is an ARF or kit plane which means you have to do some assembling and covering and install your own radio gear but it is easy to build. This is about the only plane I can find that flys just as well in winds as it does in no wind conditions.

Phenom

What controller do you use with it? Will the slo v tx work? If so where can I buy a cable if you happen to know?

Thanks

Shawn

gigelus2k3

To hook up your TX to FMS, you need a PCM to PC converter. Most people buy or make themselves a PCM to serial fixture, but I've seen PCM to USB ones.

Once you get that (if you want to build one, check the docs coming with FMS, there are details about how to do it), it's just a matter of digging for the PCM signal in your TX and send it to the PCM interface (if the TX does not have already a port with this signal).

Serban

FlybyPDX

My Feedback: (2)

slow stick

Phenom

Thanks for the info, sounds way over my head though, I think ill just get a G3.