I was in your shoes a couple of months ago. I didn't want to put the time and effort into completing a balsa plane only to turn it into splinters. If you don't have a radio, look at towers 6fm or 4fm, they are almost identical to a futaba skysport 6 and 4.

buy a new engine, don't try and get by with a used one unless you know it really works good. Try to make the plane light as possible. My first attempt (using the wrong type of pipe) was too heavy for the engine.

use a flight sim if you can (free one called fms online). I used one for a couple of weeks, then went a month without even touching it, after one buddy cord flight of 4 minutes, I soloed the next time out.

Good luck, I have already planted the plane in a palm tree, it fell 30ft to the ground when I was getting it down, it was flying again after I replaced the rubber bands and gassed it up.

Hooked on plastic.