My first two planes were the Flyzone Calypso powered glider, followed by the Flyzone Sensei. Both are included in the latest versions of the RealFlight simulator, so I was able to practice with them before buying and flying the real planes.
The Calypso glider is very forgiving. It powers up to altitude quickly, is agile enough for some basic aerobatics, but glides slow enough to give the beginner time to react. The large wing area comes out of a stall easily, and the relatively short amount of time it needs the motor running allows for long enough flight times for good practice. When I flew mine a couple of weeks ago, I was catching thermals with it, and had the wind not been coming up that morning, could likely have kept flying for an hour or more, easily.
The Sensei is very similar to the Apprentice. It has Flyzone's "WISE" system, with "Beginner," "Intermediate," and "Expert" settings. Flyzone guarantees flight success with the Sensei, under the provision that the new flyer makes their first flight under the tutelage of an AMA club instructor. My only annoyance with my first flight with the Sensei was that I'd flown it a number of times on RF 7.5, and the Intermediate setting on the WISE system limited my controls more than I needed. I've left the WISE system set to "Expert" on all flights since.
The biggest drawback is that MotionRC doesn't sell the Flyzone planes. Of course, I'd bought both before I'd heard of MotionRC, though I have no complaints on the service received from the other retailer where I bought them.
I enjoy flying both of these planes, and have no hesitation in recommending them to other beginning RC pilots. I suspect I'm going to continue to have fun with them as I progress in skill and experience as well.
The Calypso glider is very forgiving. It powers up to altitude quickly, is agile enough for some basic aerobatics, but glides slow enough to give the beginner time to react. The large wing area comes out of a stall easily, and the relatively short amount of time it needs the motor running allows for long enough flight times for good practice. When I flew mine a couple of weeks ago, I was catching thermals with it, and had the wind not been coming up that morning, could likely have kept flying for an hour or more, easily.
The Sensei is very similar to the Apprentice. It has Flyzone's "WISE" system, with "Beginner," "Intermediate," and "Expert" settings. Flyzone guarantees flight success with the Sensei, under the provision that the new flyer makes their first flight under the tutelage of an AMA club instructor. My only annoyance with my first flight with the Sensei was that I'd flown it a number of times on RF 7.5, and the Intermediate setting on the WISE system limited my controls more than I needed. I've left the WISE system set to "Expert" on all flights since.
The biggest drawback is that MotionRC doesn't sell the Flyzone planes. Of course, I'd bought both before I'd heard of MotionRC, though I have no complaints on the service received from the other retailer where I bought them.
I enjoy flying both of these planes, and have no hesitation in recommending them to other beginning RC pilots. I suspect I'm going to continue to have fun with them as I progress in skill and experience as well.
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