Someone recommend me an entry level RC plane for >$200

My girlfriend bought me this for my birthday today, looks pretty sweet and good for entry level. My only concern is the transmitter is specific for this plane, so if I ever decide to upgrade I'm kinda SOL.

Any ideas for something a little more advanced? I've flown trainer planes before and I've landed a real plane. Not afraid of building it and if the plane is closer to $200, that's fine, I can buy the controller separate.

http://secure.hobbyzone.com/catalog/HZ/index/index_park_flyers_rtf/HBZ7700.html

EZ Hawk (or similar...there are a ton of similar planes) if you want something pre-built, or a Towel if you want to build it yourself.

Edit: Oh wait you said over $200

Lets keep at around ~$200. Maybe I can call hobby zone ahead of time with my CC info, tell them my girlfriend will be calling shortly and tell them to put the difference on my card without her knowing.

I have one of these:

http://secure.hobbyzone.com/PKZ5475.html

Uses a cell based radio, which should work with other planes (!?). The other Parkzone planes should use the same style of radio. Pretty easy to fly, can do some soaring also. Not great for acrobatics, and no gear.

Bind-n-fly foamies from them are nearly indestructable, cheap, easy to fix, and a whole lot of fun.

Many folks love the Spitfire, love the Mustang just a little less, recommend the T-28 if you're not sure, and the Corsair is a mixed bag of love/hate.

I see the BNFs, what the heck is different about these and RTF?

Nevermind, google is my friend.

http://bindnfly.com/Technology/WhatDoesItMean/

That looks right up my alley.

Hobby zone super cub or an e-filte apprentice 15e if you want a 4 channel plane

If you do get a foam plane, packing tape is your friend. You probably won't be doing as much ground grinding or bush crashing as I do (I fly on the top of a hill, so landings are many times "complicated") but clear packing tap is very thin and light but provides a very nice protective cover for the foam planes. I have coated the leading edges of the wings of my plane to protect them from branches etc.

Jeez there are so many freaking planes out there I didn't think it would be this complicated. Gotta do some research.

Call http://www.scheerbros.com/Main/Welcome.html these guys. Ask for Sam. Tell him Tom told you to call. He's a plane NUT (he actually works on UAV's for...someone as a real job) and he can get you hooked up.

Local support can be darn handy. I got us (son and I) started with the Hobbyzone Champ. While it's a super tough bird, you can break it if you work hard enough at it. Being able to go trotting up the street for a new tail is darn handy, as opposed to waiting a week and paying shipping costs. Those foamies are super cheap to replace broken parts on. I agree with the packing tape for repairs and reinforcement, though it can create hard spot problems. I'd also suggest a role of double sided sticky tape, and the foam type super glue.

Bind and fly is super cool. But, make sure you understand the compatibility issues, or buy from someone who does. Then, stay with it. I don't fully understand it myself, but the guidance from others takes care of it for us.

http://wildrc.com/

I've got the Mini, with a brushless setup. Aerobatic as hell, or walking speed slow flier. And INDESTRUCTIBLE. I have flown mine straight down into the concrete driveway, lost it in the sun, with no damage other than a dislodged lipo.

Hobbytown USA has a plane called an Aeres, IIRC, that you can buy RTF for about $140 that is a 3 channel. Then you can buy a wing set with ailerons that will give you 4ch. ability. I think the wing set, including servos, is about $40.

Never flown before? Hobbyzone Champ. Bar none. Cheap buy in, cheap fixes. You will fix it, but that's OK. Small enough that you don't need a whole field to fly. Props are 2-3$. Batteries are 4-7$.

From there, there are 3D aerobatic planes, war birds, WWI planes, and even twins. They all use relatively the same style battery so they aren't tied to just one plane.

This site is great, ezonemag.com. Nice community, with a section just for new flyers. Also, look at the micro RTF section for Champ reviews and testimonies.

Strizzo wrote: Hobby zone super cub or an e-filte apprentice 15e if you want a 4 channel plane

I just spend some time researching and it seems like these would have been the way to go.

foxtrapper wrote: Local support can be darn handy. I got us (son and I) started with the Hobbyzone Champ.

Appleseed wrote: Never flown before? Hobbyzone Champ. Bar none. Cheap buy in, cheap fixes. You will fix it, but that's OK. Small enough that you don't need a whole field to fly. Props are 2-3$. Batteries are 4-7$.

The Champ looks pretty cool too, especially since that remote can be used with some of the other BNF planes.

So here is the dilemma. We would have to pay return shipping ($20?) plus you get charged $8 for their "free shipping return" so we would have a credit of around $100. The question is do I keep the 3 channel firebird stratos or pay $100-$140 extra for the Super Cub or Apprentice which gets me a 4 or 5 channel remote which is compatible with the other BNF models (firebird stratos isn't compatible with anything else and its 3 channel). What do you guys think?

Gonna second the Ares Gamma 370 recommendation. I bought one for my son for his 11th birthday. Pretty cheap way to get into RC flying. It can be upgraded in stages. Initially you start out with a 3 channel set up with a large, thick cord wing with a lot of dihedral. Dihedral is important because it makes the plane essentially "self-correcting", so long as you don't get it too far out of shape. The large wing and thick cord of the wing gives you a lot of lift, so the plane "floats" well at low speed. Really helpful for early landing attempts. Later, you can add a brushless motor and speed control and pick up a little bit of power. Finally, you can add a 4 channel wing which is shorter, has less dihedral and has ailerons for roll control of the plane. With the 4 channel wing, its a pretty decent sport plane. All this will cost you less than your $200 budget. Each upgrade is well documented in the manual that comes with the plane.

I would also highly recommend Realflight or some other simulator. Buy in is a bit steep, but in the long run its much cheaper to crash "e-planes" than real ones.

Ugly Stick

Ezonemag.com also has a classified area. I got my Champ, in mint condition with 9 batteries and a spare prop for $50. Deals are there.