It's great to see you building with your daughter. They do grow up really quick. On equipment I do the same go back and forth and drive myself nuts. I've run Saito and OS 4 strokes, tuned properly both are fine engines.

I went with a Hitec Aurora 9 for my transmitter. I liked the ability to monitor my receiver's battery voltage without any add ons. I also like the fact that the manufacture is upgrading the system as problems occur.

I totally agree with Robert in the post above.. try the new LiFe battery packs. You'll probably need to buy a new charger but the packs themselves are fantastic. I can charge them a week ahead and take the plane to the field with fully charged packs. The down side is that you have to monitor how long you fly and what it took to recharge the pack. Do some simple math to figure out maximum flight times. These things hold a flat discharge rate so well that a voltwatch or loaded voltmeter tells you nothing about how much charge is left. You have to figure it out ahead of time.

The other modification I did is to change the battery pack in my Aurora to a 2 cell LiPo pack. Aurora's use a lower pack voltage than most transmitters so a 2 cell LiPo pack is perfect. Now I can have my planes and transmitter charged and go fly when the weather permits or on a whim without having to charge at the field.
John