Welcome to the hobby! You are definitely on the right track by asking questions, learning and researching all you can.
Getting affiliated with a club that you are comfortable at is perhaps the best move you can make.

Opinions on aircraft are going to be numerous, everyone is going to have that one plane that you NEED to get. Here are my suggestions short and sweet and to the point. You can't really get hurt by any of the main stream trainers out there.

Apprentice is a great choice. Flyzone Sensei flies great too. These are the 2 popular electric trainers I have personally flown

If you want to go glow,
many of the popular trainers are fine.
Sig Kadet LT40
Tower Trainer 40
Great Planes PT40
Kadet Senior
Goldberg Eagle 2.

Either one of those choices will suit you fine. Also either of those can be set up for electric if you want a balsa/plywood airplane rather than Styrofoam.

Spektrum is a good brand that a lot of people are familiar with. Hard to beat a spectrum dx6.