RC Planes for Intermediate Pilots: Step Up After Your Trainer

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You soloed the trainer a while ago. Takeoffs have gone dull, landings are routine, and the stabilization system has stopped teaching you anything. That boredom is the signal to move on, not a calendar date. Even a genuine trainer such as the HobbyZone Sport Cub S 2 can be outgrown after a few weekends.

The trouble is that "intermediate" lists are mostly trainers with bigger motors or warbirds with a euphemism on the label. This guide takes a different approach. It sorts current and recently sold planes into steps, each of which removes one kind of forgiveness and asks for one new skill in return.

This page is a researched buyer's guide built from manufacturer product pages and manuals. It is not based on our own flying. Skill levels are Horizon Hobby's labels where they exist, and stock status was read from Horizon's availability data in October 2026. Where a general flying point is not from a manual, it is called a rule of thumb.

What actually makes a plane a step up

Three things separate a real step from a repainted trainer. None of them is price.

1. Wing profile. As a general rule of thumb, a flat-bottom high wing wants to fly level, while a semi-symmetrical or symmetrical low wing goes where you point it and stalls sooner. That is why the first low-wing plane feels like a different animal. E-flite's Valiant, for example, uses a semi-symmetrical airfoil, and the Extra 300 line uses a fully symmetrical one.
2. Assistance you are expected to turn down. SAFE, SAFE Select and AS3X are stabilization systems whose whole purpose is to be reduced as you improve. A step-up plane is one where you eventually fly with the safety net off. Our flight controller guide explains what these systems do.
3. Channels and radio. Flaps and retracts need more channels than a basic RTF trainer radio offers. Most planes here are BNF or PNP, so you need a full-range 6+ channel radio. See the transmitter and receiver guide and the LiPo guide before ordering, because several of these planes also move up to 4S batteries.

The ladder at a glance

Step 1: Use the assistance switch before you buy anything

If your current plane has SAFE or Reflex, the cheapest next step is to switch it to its least-assisted mode and fly it that way. Only then does a new purchase make sense.

HobbyZone AeroScout S 2 1.1m

HobbyZone AeroScout S 2 1.1m on Amazon (search)

Horizon calls it a durable trainer with SAFE and rates it Level 1, with a 43.1 in (1095 mm) wingspan. It weighs 22.5 oz (639 g) without a battery and 30.1 oz (853 g) with a 3S 2200 mAh pack, with a 2306-2250Kv motor and Avian 30A Smart Lite ESC. The RTF version comes with a Spektrum DXS transmitter and RealFlight Trainer Edition software, and the BNF needs a full-range 6+ channel DSMX or DSM2 radio. SAFE's Experienced mode removes the angle limits. It is a mode to switch on rather than a new airplane to buy, if you already own one.

HobbyZone Carbon Cub S 2 1.3m

HobbyZone Carbon Cub S 2 1.3m RTF Basic on Amazon

The Cub has a 51.18 in (1300 mm) span, a 3S power system, SAFE modes and a Level 1 rating. The manual lists 1285 g with the recommended 3S 2200 mAh battery, a CG of 62 to 68 mm back from the leading edge at the wing root and a 6 to 8 minute first-flight timer. Flaps are an optional upgrade that needs a separate servo, so this is a taildragger lesson more than a flap lesson. It is a bridge, not the destination.

FMS Super EZ and Ranger 1220mm

FMS 1220mm Ranger with Reflex on Amazon (search)

Horizon lists the Super EZ V4 1220mm PNP with floats and Reflex as back-ordered. It is 48 in (1219 mm) across and weighs 31.39 oz (890 g), with a 3136-1200Kv motor and a recommended 3S 1300 mAh pack. Reflex has Stabilized, Optimized and Manual modes, so Manual is the "off switch" for the gyro. It is a PNP, so you supply the radio and receiver. Horizon labels it Level 4, but that mostly reflects the missing receiver.

Step 2: First low wings and bigger sport planes

E-flite Slow Ultra Stick 1.2m

E-flite Slow Ultra Stick 1.2m on Amazon (search)

A plane older lists skip. Horizon describes it as inspired by classic slow-flyer "Stick" models, with modern technologies and "mild to wild" capabilities. It is Level 2, with a semi-symmetrical airfoil, a 46.77 in (1188 mm) wingspan, a 28.2 oz (801 g) weight without a battery, a 3513-1100Kv motor and a 30A Smart Lite ESC. It runs on 2S or 3S 1300 to 2200 mAh packs, uses AS3X with SAFE Select and only needs a 4+ channel Spektrum radio, so it is an economical way to learn a more responsive wing without adding retracts.

Freewing Pandora 4-in-1 1400mm

Freewing Pandora 4-in-1 on Amazon (search)

The Pandora's trick is conversion. Freewing's manual says it can be flown as a high-wing or low-wing taildragger, or as a high-wing or low-wing tricycle, and that the change can be made at the field. A retailer listing adds that it has a 1400 mm (55 in) wingspan, ships as a high-wing trainer, includes a low-wing canopy and two sets of landing gear, and arrives PNP with four micro servos, needing a 4-channel radio and a 3S battery. The manual also describes adding optional flaps with two servos. Weight and wing area were not confirmed.

E-flite Valiant 1.3m

E-flite Valiant 1.3m BNF Basic on Amazon

Horizon has discontinued all three Valiant airplane SKUs, though spares are still listed, so this is now a used or leftover-stock proposition. The specs show why it earned its reputation: a 53 in (1346 mm) wingspan, 430 sq in of wing area, a flying weight of 40 oz (1135 g), a semi-symmetrical airfoil and flaps, rated Level 2. The manual calls for a CG of 65 mm plus or minus 5, flap travel of 14 mm for takeoff and 28 mm for landing, and a 5 minute first-flight timer. Our Valiant guide covers it in depth.

E-flite Turbo Timber Evolution 1.5m

E-flite Turbo Timber Evolution 1.5m on Amazon (search)

A high-wing plane that teaches slow-speed control rather than a low-wing habit. The BNF is in stock at Level 2, includes floats and optional slats, and the manual specifies flap travel of 20 mm (half) and 35 mm (full), a CG of 60 mm plus or minus 5 and a 7 minute timer. It runs on 3S or 4S. For the flaps-and-STOL angle in more depth, see our STOL bush plane guide.

Step 3: Flaps, retracts and symmetrical wings

E-flite T-28 Trojan 1.2m with Smart

E-flite T-28 Trojan 1.2m BNF Basic on Amazon

This is the step the whole ladder builds toward. Horizon says the update is "a perfect 'next step' after a trainer and first 'full-house' warbird model," and rates the BNF Level 3. Specs:

• Wingspan 48.2 in (1224 mm), length 38.8 in (986 mm).
• 3.2 lb (1.47 kg) without a battery, 3.7 lb (1.70 kg) with a 4S 2200 mAh 30C pack.
• An 850Kv 14-pole motor, an Avian 70A Smart Lite ESC and seven servos.
• Two main retracts and a nose retract, all 15-size 90-degree units.
• Flap travel of 13 mm (half) and 38 mm (full), with 2 percent flap-down-elevator compensation.
• CG of 83 mm, plus or minus 19, back from the front of the wing saddle.
• A 4 minute flight timer and a recommended 4S 2200 mAh battery.

SAFE Select can be set off, always on, or assigned to a switch. It is in stock as the BNF Basic and back-ordered as the PNP. It needs a full-range 6 to 7+ channel Spektrum radio. If retracts are new to you, remember they add a mechanism that needs checking before flights.

P-51D Mustang 1.2m and F4U-4 Corsair 1.2m

E-flite P-51D Mustang 1.2m on Amazon (search)

Horizon also lists these two 1.2m warbirds in stock at Level 3. The Mustang is 47.99 in (1219 mm) across and 47.9 oz (1358 g) without a battery, with a BL15 850Kv motor, a 70A Smart Lite ESC and six micro servos. Horizon calls it "the easiest-to-fly full-house Mustang model yet." The Corsair is 48.03 in (1220 mm), 52 oz (1475 g) without a battery, with SAFE Select and decal sheets. Both are warbird shapes in a size that fits the step before the big ones.

E-flite Extra 330 SC 3D 1.3m

E-flite Extra 330 SC 3D 1.3m on Amazon (search)

The older Extra 300 3D 1.3m (fully symmetrical wing) is discontinued at Horizon, and the Extra 330 SC replaces it as the current 1.3m Extra, back-ordered in BNF and PNP. It is Level 3 for the BNF, with a 51.5 in (1308 mm) wingspan, 59.8 oz (1696 g) without a battery, an 85A Smart Lite ESC and four digital metal-geared servos. The Extra 330 SC manual gives a CG of 90 to 104 mm back from the leading edge, measured inverted, and a 3 minute flight timer. Horizon says it is a scale replica of the Extra 330SC with a stronger motor mount and a larger hatch. A symmetrical wing wants to be flown, which is exactly what 3D requires. See the 3D aerobatics guide for what comes next.

Step 4: The warbird gateway

FMS P-51D Mustang V8 1450mm

FMS P-51D Mustang V8 1450mm on Amazon (search)

This is the ceiling of the list. The Red Tail V8 PNP is out of stock at Horizon, and needs a 6+ channel radio, a LiPo and a charger. A sibling V8 listing gives a 4250-KV540 motor, a 70A ESC, a 14.8V 2600 mAh pack, a 14x8 propeller and a CG of 110 mm, though those figures are not confirmed for the Red Tail itself. Buy it after flaps, retracts and low-wing landings feel routine. Our warbird guide and giant-scale guide cover what lies beyond.

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