Welcome! The Eagle II is a great airplane to learn on- and the OS-la's are easy to operate and generally reliable...

Keep at it on the sim. it will help quite a bit I imagine, then actual flying will be soo MUCH more fun!

That 6EXA looks like a nice radio! I used a 6 CH. (6XAS) up until a year ago and only upgraded because I fly DF and had a tax refund! It should last you a LONG time-

Keep us posted!