Hi!
Well the Aerobird is an awesome plane, but if you're a beginner, I would reccomend the Commander. The aerobird is more for the experienced pilot. I starteed with the Firebird XL, great little guy. What I didn't like was the fact that to alter pitch you alter throttle. Another choice for you would be to get the sim (Real Flight G2) and practice on it all winter and then get the Nexstar on spring. It will be a breeze afer all that practice. Advantages of the sim over the Commander?:
1. You don't have to go outside to "fly".
2. You don't have to go through repairs when u crash.
3. With the simulator you won't have an "afternoon chilling, flying with the guys at the field", but then again there's nobody's flying, cos it's winter (I dont have that problem, I live in Puerto Rico .
4. You will learn the correct stick movements with the simulator because the Commander's transmitter is a lot different than a conventional 4 channel +.
I would personally stick with the sim, its a great tool and it's helped me a lot, I am learning 3D and it has saved me a lot of time and cash on repairs. Just my $0.02. Let me know if you want more info on the sim or electric plane. Happy Holidays!
Victor