Personally, I love the Aircore trainer. I started with a balsa trainer, but switched to the Aircore after a couple of minor crashes which each took me hours to repair. It just didn't seem the punishment fit the crime. After switching, I loved every minute of training, and was sorry to give the plane up when I outgrew it. I believe the Aircore is the most crash resistant plane you can buy. You can build a Spad that is equally crash resistant but it takes some work and deviation from the standard designs.

The high point of my Aircore days was when I got shot down at a training session, and the perp came over reaching for his wallet, and I was so glad to be able to say, "No problem, it will fly again in 10 minutes."

That's the plus side. On the downside:
1. The Aircore is a KIT, not an ARF. While nowhere near as hard to build as a balsa kit, it's still a kit, and as such you can't compare it with the Alpha, which I believe is practically flyable out of the box. In particular, building an Aircore wing takes some building skills.

2. An Aircore is relatively heavy. With a ball-bearing .46 (recommended) you're looking at 6.5 pounds. Some folks will argue that the extra pound or so it has over a balsa trainer makes it less sky-worthy. I doubt you'll be able to tell the difference. To me, as a beginner it seemed to fly just like my balsa trainer.

3. There's still some residual coro-hostility out there. If your instructor doesn't like the Aircore, you may get off on the wrong foot. If you have really thin skin, at some fields you'll feel more comfortable with the Alpha (until you crash).

As far as the issue of keeping the trainer after you solo, the others might be right that the Alpha may fit better (if it still exists at the time you solo). With the Aircore, not long after you solo, the Aircore will start to feel sluggish and lumbering and you'll want a more agile plane. But with the Aircore, you'll be comfortable building with coro, and you can build a Spad DPS for about $20 in materials which will easily take you to the next level of flying skills.

Good luck. PM me if you have any specific questions.