Originally Posted by harlanb

knight51,
Before you buy any planes, I would check out your local clubs. Many clubs, like mine, have 1 or more planes that are designated for training.
We have people that can train with a buddy box. That way you can start learning before you even buy a plane.
There is even a good possibility that someone in the club may give you a plane free or very cheap. When I joined my club, one of the club
members gave me a nice trainer for free. I still had to put an engine and radio in it, but I was able to get good deal on those through the members or through contacts from club members. I still have the trainer, and I use it for training new or potential club members.
By the way, I live north of Seattle in Burlington.
Good luck to you.