Nice post.

I would add a couple of suggestions.

Keeping the first flight relatively short is a great idea, but I'd suggest staying at a safe altitude and doing some figure 8's to get a feel for how it handles, and then slow the plane (up high) as if you were on a landing approach. Best to find out how the plane handles at low speed, how it warns you of impending stall, and how it stalls when you have lots of altitude to recover.

Secondly, I'd suggest you get a Li-Po alarm. This is a small device that plugs into the balance plug of your battery and it will start beeping when any cell's voltage drops below what you've set. Much better than using a timer, IMHO, because some flights you use more throttle than others. Also cold weather or an aging pack can give you less flight time than you expect. For just a few bucks, no more dead sticks at a bad time. Plus I find packs last longer if you don't run them all the way down to the ESC's low voltage cut off.

Have fun. I still really enjoy going out and shooting landings with the Apprentice. After a while a bit of gusty crosswind adds to the fun.