Rapid,

If you really want to learn how to fly and to have a good flying plane when you are done, I would strongly suggest building with ailerons and less dihedral. While some of the old timers at our field enjoy flying with 3 channels, most people don't. Planes fly better with ailerons, and you may find the aileron version interesting enough to keeping flying as a back up plane even after you move on to more sophisticated models. Also, I would suggest bolting the wings on with nylon bolts. Rubber bands can be a PITA, and from what I've seen they don't save much in a crash anyway.

I applaud you for building your first plane. While I don't build much anymore (I'm short on time and I love flying), the skills I picked up in my early years of building help tremendously when modifying or repairing planes ... and if you fly you will need to repair.

Greg