Ken, how far have you progressed ? Are you into low wingers yet ? As Chad has said, keep it simple, and find something inherently stable. Some scale models are easy to fly, but many are not. Let us know the type of model that you are most interested in, and maybe we can comment on it.

Also, consider some simple scale fly-ins to begin with. These will allow you to look around, talk with the pilots, and check different planes performance.

Where do you live in the west ? We attend quite a few here, and maybe we can help.