Any thoughts on Hasbro Power Air Surfer RC Plane?

| I'm a total ignoramus with RC planes, but am considering getting a Hasbro | Power Air Surfer for my 8 yr old nephew. Has anyone played with it and have | any opinions? |

| | I'm wondering if it works well and is reasonably sturdy/reliable.

I've got one. I got it at clearance at Target about a year ago for $20.

It _barely_ flies, and when you try to turn, it tends to stall out and crash.

None of these really cheap R/C planes work very well.. Probably the cheapest you're likely to get something that flies reasonably well is about $150, unless you find something used.

And I'm not sure if an 8 year old would do good with an R/C plane anyways -- but I'm not so sure about that.

I think it was either last year or the year before, there was a 4 year old that come in the top 5 in the nates, and the rudder stood taller them him

I do not believe it for a second. My daughter is 3.5, and barely has the coordination needed to operate the remote control for the TV. (And yet she's really smart -- I imagine she'll be reading within a year.)

Googling, I see reports of 10, 12, 14 year olds doing well in the NATS, but nothing of anybody younger.

I certainly believe that some 8 year olds could fly R/C planes ok, but I'd certainly start the kid out with a car first.

This is starting off thread I guess...

My son's 8 and soloed this summer on a NexStar. He's been doing flight simulators ever since age 3 (with crashing enabled since about age 6).

Back on thread:

For an 8 year old without an adult seriously teaching them to fly, I would recommend a Blade Runner (go to

search for Blade Runner under toys). It flies indoors, is very stable, and is reasonably safe. If your nephew has a good attention span and is patient, he will have fun.

--Jay

Was given this plane free last year after another family had flown many times. The battery is the weakest link. After multiple charges, the several that I have give you a 10 second blast and then wimper on for 3 minutes. My 7 yr old g-daughter picked it up quickly and got a real thrill flying the thing for a few seconds at a time.