Easy model for visiting grandson

Something like this is good:

excellent plane (and a personal fave) is the GWS Slow Stick but you will need to purchase the radio equipment for this plane. My father and I "combat" these by trying to hit each other while flying. Usually the only damage is a broken prop or easily repaired rip in the foam. I also see a lot of guys showing up with these Firebird Commander planes lately.

My brother wanted to teach his 12 year old son how to fly and had to keep grabbing the transmitter from him to keep it from crashing. Needless to say, it so discouraged the kid that he didn't want anything more to do with them and went home to play his video games, never to go flying with us again. I would highly suggest that after you can fly it, have a second transmitter for him with a "buddy box" cord. You can correct when necessary and not destroy his, hopefully building, confidence. I just glanced at your post again and I guess for what you are paying, my suggestion is not an option. If you really want to share flying with him get something more expensive that will allow what I suggested or risk turning him off on the hobby.

People have to be drawn to the hobby on their own for them to take up modeling life long. Trying to gain converts does not work. I have never seen it happen once in my fifty plus years of model building/flying. Either a person has the desire, or they do not.

This is not to say that someone may have the interest, but didn't know where to get it to coalesce. Opportunities should be provided, but I wouldn't get my hopes up for someone that hasn't expressed a deep interest in the hobby from the very beginning.

Another factor is the behavior of the instructor. Some folks are just too emotional to teach others how to fly. In short, they loudly vocalize their alarm, which gives the student pilot the jitters. If you can't keep your mouth shut, you shouldn't be an instructor.

Ed Cregger