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One of the most popular gift items we sell at Hobby Works are Ready-to-Fly Radio-Controlled Airplanes. We sell two basic types: Nitro-powered and Electric.

Our best-selling Nitro trainer is the Hangar 9 Alpha, which comes complete with everything you need to fly except fuel and starting equipment. This plane is perfect for those with no prior R/C experience, as it is stable, forgiving, and features an engine specially designed for beginners. Its Evolution .40 engine is already broken-in and pre-tuned at the factory, so it’s ready-to-run when you get your plane home, so much so that an electric starter is not really necessary! The engine also has a couple of interesting safety features – the glow plug is canted backwards so that if your glow igniter falls off, it falls away from the prop, and the needle valve (fuel/air mixture adjustment) is behind the cylinder so your fingers are three inches away from the propeller instead of one – and the Evolution .40 also has a flywheel which lessens the chance of a flame-out during landing approach.

As easy as the Alpha is to fly, we do recommend you protect your investment by either joining a local R/C club that has a formal instruction program and/or purchasing a Great Planes simulator to practice on.

If you already have some R/C experience – maybe you participated in the sport years ago and are just getting back into it, or you are one of the millions of flight simulator gamers -- perhaps Hangar 9’s Arrow is for you. It’s almost identical to the Alpha – it has the same radio and engine already pre-installed – but it has a flatter, semi-symmetrical wing, which allows you to perform advanced aerobatics. It is not recommended for new pilots, however.

Needless to say, these two airplanes are quite an investment in both money and commitment. Also, they can only be flown at designated model airplane flying fields (or on private property with permission of the owner). Perhaps that’s not your cup of tea. If not, then investigate one of Hobby Zone’s Firebird squadron of ready-to-fly electric airplanes, which can be flown in a park or large schoolyard (a baseball diamond is insufficient; we’re talking soccer or football field here).

The Hobby Zone airplane that will teach you the most is the Aerobird Challenger. Its included (and pre-installed) three-channel radio system gives you rudder, elevator and motor control, making smooth flight, landings, and simple aerobatics a piece of cake. The Aerobird comes complete with everything you need to fly, including batteries, and features a couple of interesting options: a streamer bomb/parachute drop and Hobby Zone’s patented Combat Module, which emits a sonic beam on command (with simulated electronic machine-gun sound) that – when it strikes the rear of a similarly-equipped aircraft – causes the target aircraft’s module to emit an electronic scream, and better yet, shuts off its motor for ten seconds! However, the flight controls still work, so unless the “victim” was flying too low, they probably won’t crash. (You don’t want that to happen, do you?)

These same options are available in Hobby Zone’s less-expensive Firebird Commander, which is almost identical to the Aerobird except that it only has rudder and motor control, which some people feel is simpler and more appropriate for the raw beginner.

Finally, for those who want to experience the thrill of radio-controlled aircraft without spending much money at all, there’s the diminutive Firebird Outlaw, available in Red or Green. It is also considerably slower than the other Firebirds, allowing it to be used in somewhat smaller flying areas.

Regardless of which of these beginner’s airplanes you choose, you or your gift recipients can look forward to a New Year of excitement and fun. Enjoy!