My Dad started me in the hobby in my early teens ( mid-70's but can't say exactly when ) and winds here, in Oklahoma, were always a consideration when flying our airplanes. Over 10mph winds are the norm around here with over 20 mph not uncommon.
When I started buying my RC stuff, I'd been planning for a really long time since I didn't have a high paying job when I was still in school. So I was getting one bit at a time. My first purchase. late 70's, was the Sig Kadet Jr. ( I think, I know it was the smaller model with a recommended engine of a .30 - .40 ). I think the next piece I bought was the small Cricket Heli, a very basic heli that the local hobby store placed on sale. The engine I got just a little later was one that better fit the heli but should have been "hot" enough for the Kadet ... the Super Tigre .28 ( it was one of their race models, but can't recall which ).
While I did get the Cricket put together, it never saw the air... it was a year or more before I could afford a radio that had enough channels, not to speak of getting a gyro for it. I ended up buying the Hitec Prism 7ch 3 model FM radio. I put the radio gear into the Kadet. Then engine was a bit low in the power arena for the Kadet, but for a first airplane, it was fine to get started with.
