The first thing I suggest is that you review posts in the beginners forum. The question of which is the "best" trainer comes up about 100 times per week Sorry, I could not resist a little exaggeration. It actually does come up often, you will have no trouble finding 10-15recent threads talking about it. There's even a thread pinned to the top of the forum from a guy in the UK named Volkan. The short answer is a .40 sized ARF will suit you well. The Tower Trainer, available from Tower Hobbies www.towerhobbies.com, is one choice. There are bunches of others.

You will also need an engine. Again, the beginners forum will have lots of recommendations. Since you've already got your 3rd or 4th plane, the F4, you might as well get yourself a decent ball bearing .45 size (note, anything from .45 to .52 is essentially the same size) 2 stroke engine. This will work in your trainer. When you are ready for your second plane it will work there too.

And you will also need a radio. Your radio choice will depend on your budget. If your funds are limited, buy a basic 4 channel. If you've got a little more money, consider a basic 6 channel computer radio. If the sky's the limit, Futaba has a really neat 14 channel radio, I think it's only a couple thousand. Sorry, got carried away. As with the engine, the radio will work in subsequent planes.

And finally, there's a bunch of stuff like glue, screw drivers, hobby knife, epoxy, CA glue, starter, glow driver, etc that you will need. Again, there have been many posts in the beginners forum that will give you lists of the stuff that you must buy, and the additional things that are nice to have. When you are all done with the above you will probably have spent somewere between $350 and $600 depending on what you choose, and how many of the "nice to have" things you buy up front. If you're not prepared to spend this kind of money, it would be good to reevaluate flying this size glow planes, the costs can pile up. Note, this is not meant to scare you away. I'm just trying to give you a realistic estimate of the startup costs. The positive side to this (I bet you were hoping I would say something good), is that virtually everything you get for the first plane can be transfered to the second and subsequent planes. The big cash outlay is up front, unless you go crazy like some of us do.

Before you buy any of these things, you should look to see if there is a good hobby shop in your area. When I say "good" I mean one that specializes in R/C. Preferably just planes, but it's ok if they have other stuff too. The kind that's "not good" is the typical mall toy store that happens to have a couple planes and people behind the counter who know nothing about them. Check the yellow pages and go pay a visit to all of the ones near. The reason I suggest this is the shop can help you choose a plane, engine, and radio. They will also know about the local clubs. And finally, you will have lots of questions, and while the people here will prove to be very helpful, it's really nice if you can have someone actually show you something in person.

Anyway, welcome to the hobby. It's a huge amount of fun. People in RCU are the greatest. Don't be afraid to ask questions, but I do encourage you to spend some time searching and reading, many of the things you might want to know have already been discussed. Good luck!