If you do choose to go with a built-up wooden plane, I have a couple of inputs from experience...[ol][*]A cheap source for LT-40 plans is the source... SIG sells plans for their designs at very reasonable prices.[*]The LT-40 is not a good scratch build. It's got a lot of large plywood parts that are awkward to handle nad expensive to buy materials for... I watched a buddy build himself an LT-40 and pay as much for materials as he'd have spent on the kit.[*] The LT-40 is a tail-heavy bird. Yes, it's an outstanding trainer once it's balanced, but balancing it means adding a bigger engine and/or dead weight... both dissapointing things to do to an object of your own creation.[*] The PT-40 (formerly kitted by Great Planes) was an outstanding trainer, too -- and it was designed for scratch building and constructed from balsa, not plywood. The source for PT-40 plans is R/C Modeler magazine, another source of reasonably priced plans... if you build in wood, you may be much happier with it than you'd be with the LT-40. [/ol]I forgot -- I meant to mention as well, that building your first trainer -- especially from scratch -- is something most people advise you away from these days... but people still do it, and personally, I did it. in my case it was the [link=http://www.rcmmagazine.com/e/env/0001bI6gJJ89f4gROQ1L2T5/store/store-plans-alpha.html?link=/store/store-plans-catalog-tem.html&item=plans:PL-354]RCM Basic Trainer[/link], and a real sweet flyer it was... cheap plans and cheap easy construction too. (It's 3 1/2 pound all-up weight was not well suited to the .40 sized maximum power they recommend, but with a smaller engine it was a thing of great beauty.)