Well, welcome to RCU and RC Flight! There's an awful lot of great people involved in this stuff, and some of them even stop by here once in awhile.

Sounds like you got a really good deal on the stuff you bought. When you say RTF, I'm assuming that the Trainer and Texan came with engines and servos. What brand and size are they? (Not that it matters a lot.)

Couple things you might want to know. If you don't just skip this part.

Check the back of the radio for a sticker, it should have 1991 on it. This certification sticker is required on older radios, which I believe the 6NK is. Chances are, if the guy has flown in the past couple years it's fine, but I'd check it. Older radios without the sticker are illegal today (FCC regulations), but more importantly, they can interfere with others flying on adjacent 'channels'.

That GP trainer should work out great. Great Planes is very reputable, and probably the largest, manufacturer of RC aircraft around. It's slightly larger than the usual 40 size which makes it a bit easier to see. (Not a bad thing when you're learning!)

Cubs are generally nice, slow flying planes. Great for just cruising around on a calm afternoon. They're perfect for a four stroke engine, the sound just fits perfectly.

They can be a bit 'squirrely' on the ground, and often require a bit of down elevator (!) just as they leave the ground, but once you're use to these traits, they're great!

A Cub is also a bit different in that it needs rudder combined with ailerons in the turns, so it's a bit 'trickier' to fly. Some Cubs (like mine!) have a bit of roll coupled with the rudder, so quite often, it's necessary to feed in opposite ailerons in a turn.

I don't know anything about the Texan, except that it has a good reputation. (As does Midwest.) But because it's a "warbird", and Midwest kits are geared a bit more toward advanced flyers, I'd hold off for awhile before attempting to fly that one. (I'd recommend waiting until your second year (at least) of flying, but it'll depend on your skills.)

The Bud N osen kits are for real "builders". They're usually a huge box of lumber that requires a LOT of cutting, carving, sanding and shaping before they start to resemble an airplane. They can also be heavy, which means a higher wing loading, so have it checked out.

Citabria's are aerobatic planes (try spelling Citabria backwards ) which is where they got the name for the full scale one. They are usually quite unstable (squirrelly) on the ground, sometimes they're a real handful in fact. They fly well, but are not for a new flyer. They're short coupled, meaning the distance from the wing to the horizontal stabilizer (tail) is relatively shorter than a "standard" aircraft. But once you've learned to loop, roll, spin, fly inverted, do Immelmans, Split S's, and Cuban Eights, with the trainer, I'd say go for it.

Please keep us posted on your progress! I think most of us really enjoy hearing how it goes. (Probably because we've all been there!)

Dennis-