ORIGINAL: collegeboye

I have been flying rc helicopters for over 5 years now and am proficient at mild 3d. I can control a heli in all orientations comfortably. My largest heil is a Trex 700N. I am looking at getting into the airplane niche now. I dont want to but 10 different airplanes to "train" on and then buy a more expensive and capable airplane. I did this with heli's and found that I wasted alot of money in the begining buying Coax helis, then fixed pitch, then small 3d electrics up to large nitros. I found that smaller heli's are generally less exciting and more difficult to control. I am thinking the same is true of airplanes. I am looking to buy a gasser 30cc ARF from goldwing or redwing in the next few months. I have had tons of time on the sim with airplanes and find them not as challenging to 3d as a heli.
I am just seeking an experienced opinion on if it sounds feasable for me to go large scale for first plane build? I have contacted a local airplane club to join just for setup verification/tips and a place to fly.
Do you guys think it is absolutely necesary that flyers start with small high wing trainers and then move up to larger scales even if i have had 100+ hours sim and small airplane experience coupled with 5+ years of 3d heli flight?
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