RE: A few questions from a new guy
I went from a Great planes PT 20 trainer to a Jemco AT6 and it kick my butt. Bad Idea. You would`nt last 10 seconds going that route that's why I suggest a low wing sport plane. Joining a club is a very good idea and I forgot to mention about the sport plane being a tail dagger so you can learn how to handle them on the ground. Warbirds especially can be tricky and you don`t want to mess up on a take off run either. Can get ugly quick. You need small inputs to keep it tracking straight and knowing how much only comes with experience.
Another good reason to join a club is that if you are lucky you get to meet people with the same interest as you and ready to help you. Now I say lucky because some clubs you meet folks that don`t want to help. They make excuses why they cant help or they just keep passing you off to other club members. And no one bet not say that's not true because it is. So just go to the field one weekend and see who flies warbirds and approach them see what vibe you get. If its good maybe you can invite the person to your home and have him check everything over for you and give you pointers. That`s how I did it and as a result gain a best fiend. We build together, loan and give each other from radios to engines, servos you name it. Even go to shows together. Meeting a good flying buddy is priceless.