I would finally like to try an airplane after flying helis for several months now, however I'm unsure if I could skip the trainer stage and go straight to a .40 sport scale arf.

The reason I ask is because I self taught myself how to fly helis, starting on a GPH46, with the aid of a simulator. I found that the simulator took me beyond the huge learning curve, and basically prepared me for the real thing. When I did my first hover, the heli reacted just like the sim, and I progressed very quickly from there on.

For the past month I've been flying airplanes on the simulator, and can land just about anything in difficult weather conditions consistently. From the trainers that just float to the ground to nose heavy taildraggers that require precise throttle control.

So, I'm wondering if I'll quickly outgrow a trainer, and maybe I should step up to something that would be considered a good 2nd or 3rd plane? If I go the trainer route, I'm thinking I'll go with the SIG LT40, however I like the Great Planes AT-6 Texan, and this looks like something that could take me a little farther. I don't want to sound like I'm being too confident, but the price difference between the two planes I mentioned is only $20 or so.

Any ideas or recommendations? Thanks.