Re: Firebird Commander??

As CW identified, having elevator control offers more control. Have the added control surface will eventually prove more enjoyable in the long run due to its maneuverability. However... this is providing you have some RC airplane experience. If so... (in the Horizon Hobby lineup) I'd lean towards the Aerobird. Its basically the same design as the Commander but with elevator control.
If you do not have any RC airplane experience, then the Commander would be fine. After all, the last thing you want to do is drop $200 on a new hobby and destroy it the first time out. Another plane to you might want to consider along the Commander line is the Firebird II. It's very similar in design and control, and like the Commander, it "helps" the first timers by offering two modes of control. (beginner and advanced)
Not sure if you're only open to buying from Horizon... if not, you can improve slightly on the price. For instance Hobbytron sells it for $25.00 less!
You can save even more by buying them off eBay:
Firebird II: Firebird Commander: Can flying a simple RC plane like these ultimately drag you into bigger and more expensive planes? You bet! You wouldn't be the first.
Last, if you really are new to this... you should seriously consider a RC flight simulator. Although they cost you money up front, they can save you a lot of money on the back end by letting you learn to fly and crashing planes on your PC... instead of at the local schoolyard. Realflight is a really nice SIM. The G2 version is all you need. There's no real advantage to getting G3 (not for a beginner or for the money) As you get more experienced, many of the model planes you can buy in the store are loaded in G2 so you can fly the actual model before flying the real thing. The flight characteristics of the model are programmed into G2. If the real RC model is a dog to fly in real life... then its a dog to fly in G2. It's a great training aid.
And, like the panes, Realflight is also available via eBay Good luck Elton

I've got the Aerobird Extreme , the yellow one.... It`s bigger than the commander , which i believe is the orange one off hand... The extreme can handle a bit more wind, it`s stronger and in my opinion, it`s a great "fready to fly" plane that will get you hooked...
Brad...

thanks everyone for your comments....i'm also following the post "RC Info For Newbie"...lots of good information there....you guys/ladies are great.....
thanks tim