RE: Is a wing OK for a trainer?
I am still very much a beginner. That means I can't give you expert advice but I can give you a report on my personal experiences. I Started out to teach myself to fly with an Easy Star. That was a really good choice. I only flew it a few 5 times and thought I was ready to try a wing.(I thrive on variety). All I can say is WOW! I was not, repeat, not ready for the increased speed, maneuverability, and difficulty in maintaining orientation. Many crashes later I can say I have had some sucess with my wing but it's still a challenge for me. I am sure teaching yourself with a wing can be done because I (more or less) did it but you had better buy a quality EPP foam wing because you if you are anything less than some kind of prodigy are going to crash a lot and I mean hard and a lot.
I now have a Zagi Fixx, Combat Wings XE2, Whisper 2 and Zagi 60. Each has it's own good points. I believe the Zagi Fixx is no longer available. I wouldn't recommend it anyway because it's not EPP foam and really broke up badly from my crashes and are hard to fly in any wind above @ 5 mph. It does still fly though even after breaking it completely in half diagonally through the center. BTW just in case you don't know EPP is NOT the same as styrofoam.
My Whisper 2 will fly slow and is smaller (around 27 inches I think) and therefore can be used in smaller spaces. This can be a big plus. I like it a lot. It uses an inexpensive GWS geared set up with a Lipo. Wings eat up a lot of territory in one heck of a short time forcing you into constant turning without ever giving you enough time to settle your nerves and plan for the next control input so slower flight speeds can be a big plus.
The XE2 is one tough bird and uses a simple NiMH battery and speed 400 motor with a steel motor mount. An excellent all around choice. Especially if you throttle back just a bit right after launching when you get stabilized. I have crashed that thing so hard so many times I just can't believe it still flies! I have had to make some repairs but they were next to nothing considering some of those crashes.
The Zagi 60 is bigger and therfore easier to see but it's power system is a bit marginal in my estimation. I haven't flown it but a couple of times and I'm thinking I need to get a brushless for it (at considerable expense). I'm not looking for a lot of speed but with wings you need to keep them moving at some speed they are happy with or they get really mushy on the controls and tip stall easily.
A radio that has dual rates and or exponential will really help. I know it did for me. Guys here on the board told me to get the add ons for my Hitec Neon because it would help me and they were 100% right. I now have Futaba's most basic computer radio and I really like it. Worth the extra $ for sure.
Hope I have given you some good info that will help you.