Hi all,

I've been trolling the forums for a while, but this is my first post.

As I live in NJ, I've decided that I'm going to do a build or two over the fall/winter and learn how to fly in the spring.

To that end, I've ordered a Sig Kadet LT-40 kit, and plan to follow RC Ken's Pay It forward thread. (BTW, RC Ken, if you read this, that's some outstanding attention to detail. Reading your thread a couple of times convinced me I needed to build vs. buy an ARF - not that you can find a LT-40 ARF ).

So here's the dilemma, while I'm anxiously waiting for the kit to show up I've been doing a lot of thinking about transmitters. Part of me thinks I should just buy a basic 4-channel radio to get started on, and part of me thinks I should buy something more intermediate that I can grow into. I'm not adverse to spending money on something like a Futaba 8FG, a Hitec Aurora 9, or a Spektrum DX8 (when available). But I'm concerned about a couple things. First, will all the bells and whistles of these radios just make it more difficult for a beginner? and Second, will it be easy for these radios to be set-up as slaves for training?

The other thing I've been wondering about is simulators. Should I get a simulator and try to learn some basic techniques over the winter, or wait until the spring and learn with an instructor at a local club?

Would love to get some opinion from you veterans.

Thanks
Dom