A SPAD Debonair was my first plane. It wasn't a good a flyer as the typical balsa wood trainer, but it was good enough for a beginner to have a good time with. If those are the materials you have to work with the Debonair built per the plans will be a nice flyer for you. The one suggestion I'll make for changes is to do the RNAF wing that the Das Spad Stick uses. It has 2mm coro on the top instead of 4mm, which saves you some weight.

Now all of that said, if you are going to be buying your materials new, you might consider a .40 size balsa ARF instead. The cost won't be much different in the end, and you'll have a better flyer.