Hasbro Power Air Surfer Radio Controlled R C Plane (Assorted Styles)

Reader Reviews
This plane flies so slowly that it is easy to hand-launch and guide in lazy circles -- perfect for a beginner learning to judge the distance, direction, and attitude of the aircraft. It can do rudimentary maneuvers such as wingovers, loops, and stalls, and recovers to level flight pretty much by itself if left alone. Its five to seven minute battery duration is plenty long for a novice pilot to concentrate. Landing is a matter of cutting off the power and letting the plane float to the ground. It skids to a stop on its plastic belly. Its slow speed makes it ideal for limited spaces like school playgrounds. There are important limitations and guidelines that are not all clearly defined in the instructions, such as: The plane can only be flown in dead calm or, at most, a whisper of wind (less than three miles per hour). Higher wind simply blows the plane away, and it doesn't have enough power to come back. In many areas, conditions may be calm enough only once or twice per week at most. The battery charger included with the plane has a cutoff time of twenty minutes or so to avoid overheating the battery. The battery MUST go through the charge cycle multiple times (seven to ten times) to approach its maximum charge. This procedure takes several hours, so it must be started long before the desired flight time. Insufficient battery charge is the most common reason for dissatisfaction with this plane's performance. If you want two flights in a row, get an extra battery. The plane is easy to assemble. However, some of the steps involve joining fairly fragile structures together, and require adult dexterity to avoid breaking or damaging key areas. The plane is almost indestructible given its low Kinetic Watches energy, but the propellers are brittle and will break off if they contact a solid object such as a tree branch while they are spinning. Extra propellers (and other parts) are available from the manufacturer. Although the plane is perfect for anyone with little or no r/c experience, its limitations in speed and maneuverability reduce its ability to keep the pilot's interest after five or ten flights. You will soon be wanting bigger, faster, more expensive aircraft. However, the latter will be much more likely to survive their first few flights as a result of sufficient practice with this one.