RE: To the old salts...
You were looking at the best and did not even relize it.
The Evil Empire's Hobbico Avistar is the finest youg people trainer ever. IMHO light wing loading and very stable.
I have one bashed to a bolt on wing, tail dragger, dual alieron servos and no cowl cheeks.
With wild throws it snaps, knife edges and handles everthing I can throw at it. But on low rates it is a perfect trainer. So the name in your Mustang's "PTS" (progressive trainer system) is truely manifested. Again IMHO.
This is the trainer I sugguest for all nonvision impared students. For slower and vision impared adluts I recomend the Empire's 60 size version the Hobbico Hobbistar.
good luck my grandson is 19 months so maybe someday for me too.