I agree, the Gold Kits Birds by Top Flite are way to advanced. I also feel that while an LT-40 might be a good build, I think it's back a step in flight. In my mind, each plane has a purpose towards becoming a better pilot. The alpha was my introduction, the Avistar was my first taste of aerobatics, my cub teaches me wind control and my escapade teaches me how to fly a small plane with a lot of weight. Each plane takes me closer to my ultimate goal, scale WWII warbirds. Some of the planes I was looking at were: The TF Contender, I would build it with the flap to teach me about the management of flaps, a GP Ultra Sport, either 40 or 60, and install retracts to learn how that affects a plane, or a Sig Something Extra to continue along the lines of scale aerobatics. I may be wrong, but this seems like the next step for me.
Thanks for all of the help and if I missed a plane or I'm wrong about something, let me know!