If you're going to try and learn on your own and want electrics, check out Hobbyzone's Aerobird. It doesn't have 4 channels--only 3 (up/down, left/right, and throttle). But it is inexpensive ($150), durable, and can be kept to fly even if you later take up glo planes. It will fly for 15 minutes on one charge and an extra battery costs some $25-30 and will pratically charge while you're flying the fresh battery. Everything comes with the plane (including batteries for the transmitter) and it can all be kept in the original box. I have the Aerobird Challenger. Hobbyzone now has the Aerobird Extreme model. It is larger, heavier, and has a more powerful motor. However, it doesn't do anything (flying capability wise) that the Challenger model can do. And the box it comes in is much larger! I guess the primary advantage is that being heavier and having a more powerful motor, it will handle higher winds. Once you learn to fly the Aerobird, you can fly it in winds up to and over 10 mph, however most of your flying effort will be just keeping control of the plane in the air. The Aerobird had a "push" motor, removeable landing gear and plastic fuse--funny looking at first, but once you see how it takes the punishment you're going to give it, you will like the way it looks :-)