Features: durable plastic fuselage pod with composite tail boom and foam flying surfaces; the body comes completely assembled and just needs you to attach the wing and push in the landing gear; motor, prop, ESC, battery, servos and radio all come installed; a car 12V DC peak-charger and an instructional video CD are included.

Comments: this plane allows pilots to advance from beginning flight to advanced aerobatics with little preparation. The X-Port will expand your flying experience by allowing the addition of plug-and-play accessories such as the Sonic Combat Module and the Aerial Drop Module.

Here is the Sonic Combat Module hooked into place and ready to go. Switching from one module to the next takes about a minute and requires no tools.

X-citing add-ons
The Aerobird Challenger comes equipped with HobbyZone's X-Port feature that's also found on the Firebird Commander. This plug-and-play port allows you to attach exciting accessories like the Sonic Combat Module (sold separately for $23.99). This module emits a sonic "blast" that scores a hit if you can get within 80 feet of another SCM-equipped plane's tail. Once hit, the victim's module will emit a high-pitched tone and disable the plane's motor for 10 seconds. This challenging competition is unlike anything else available for electric planes.

If you're not into combat or don't have a friend who flies, try some target practice with the Aerial Drop Module (sold separately for $19.99). This innovative electro-magnetic release mechanism drops a streamer bomb or parachute from the Challenger with the push of a button. There are so many games that you can make up for this add-on that you will probably wear out the plane before you get tired of it. Either way, these add-on modules will increase your flying enjoyment.

The Aerobird Challenger can perform loops, tail slides and chandelles.

Once it's out of the box, the Aerobird Challenger gets into the air quickly, and once there, it's easy to fly. The controls are responsive and smooth, so new pilots won't get into trouble right away (hopefully). If possible, first-time pilots should seek the skills of a veteran pilot to assist them. Choose a fairly calm day for the first flight, and pick a site that's at least the size of a baseball outfield to ensure that the plane has plenty of room for you to launch, fly and land it.

CLIMB PERFORMANCE. This plane can take off from the ground, but you don't have much directional control until it gets airborne; this is why I prefer to hand-launch it. With a freshly charged battery, the Challenger will quickly climb out when you hand-launch it into the wind slightly nose-up (don't fly in winds over 7mph). Use a combination of throttle and elevator control to get the plane to a comfortable altitude.

FLIGHT STABILITY. The Challenger is a very stable flying plane that's easy to control during climbs, turns and descents in both modes. In the Sport Mode, the turns are quite smooth and the nose doesn't tend to drop. Even in Pro Mode, the nose drops only a little in the turns, and this is easily corrected with a little upelevator. Both modes have solid control as the plane slows down for landing, and it's a simple matter of keeping the wing level as the plane descends.

PILOT RECOMMENDATIONS. Both beginning and advanced pilots should fly the first few flights in the Sport Mode. Get used to how the plane feels and handles before you move on to the Pro Mode. The Flight Trak system really simplifies flying for inexperienced pilots. This mode gives you more time to choose the control movement you should use and helps eliminate any over-controlling that newbies will certainly do. Once you're comfortable in this mode, move on up to the Pro Mode and enjoy moving the plane around the sky with more authority.

PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHT. With 3-channel control, this plane offers more than other planes in its class. The Aerobird Challenger can perform loops, tail slides and chandelles. If you want an added visual effect for your maneuvers, just add the provided chrome-colored wingtip streamers to the wing with doublesided tape. If that's not enough to keep your interest, purchase the Stealth Target (available separately) and use your Sonic Combat Module to perform daring daylight strafing attacks.