RE: Newbie
As a general sport/heli radio, the 7C gets good reports. Where the 7C and other radios of this class fall short is when you go to very advanced mixing using 4 servo wings. Don't know if there is a Heli equivalent of a 4 servo wing.
The 7C, the Hitec Optic 6, the JR 6102 and other radios is this midrange class don't really have programming to handle a 4 servo wing. Where would this apply?
High performance sailplanes, refered to as full house, usually have 4 servo wings which call for each servo to be addressed individually on its own channel and mixing SW that knows how to do that.
High performance aerobatic planes also often use 4 servo wings AND two servo elevators.
The 7C would not be a good choice for these complex planes. I would recommend the Futaba 9C, the Multiplex EVOs, perhaps the Airtronics Stylus, but these are all 2-3 times the price of a 7C.
If you are not planning to fly planes like this, the 7C is a fine radio at a very good price. Also take a look at the Hitec Optic 6 and the Jr 6102 as other other good candidates. I believe they all include heli programming.