RE: Getting started, on a budget, with a size limit
A good little plane that is 4 channel and easy to fly is the UM T-28. I love mine, and it looks like it went to way from all the crashes it suffered. Repairs are done with packing tape and gorrilla glue. Good plane for under $100, and you can get packs for it from hobbypartz for cheap. I fly mine with the packs from the mCPX heli.