Two points I always like to make are (as mentioned earlier) stay away from anything smaller than 40 size airplane (it's easier to fly a hawk than a mosquito). And while 60 size is easier yet, they can also hurt the wallet both in original cost and fuel consumption. So I always recommend 40 size to start with. The other point is to stay away from ARF's at first. Let's face it, there's a good chance that at some point you might break it. If you BUILT it, you understand the building process and therefore can make repairs more easily (plus you still have the plans, the die-cut scraps that can be used as templates to make new parts, etc.). And IMHO you're more likely to take pride in something that you BUILT as opposed to something you took out of a box.