Age wise I have found that 8 years old is a good age to start, young enough to not be too nervous to try flying and old enough to understand the connection between the sticks and the plane. Younger than that and the new flyer doesn't seem to take things seriously, not good. Most new flyers at our club take most of the flying season from June to August to be ready to take their solo test. Having a good reliable engine and a 40 size trainer such as an LT40 really helps. Most that have bought the 60 size trainers such as a PT 60 seem to take longer to get the landings down right due to the faster landing speed. Its not that much faster but if you don't know how to land slow, then a faster landing plane just makes things more frustrating. Even planes that fly a bit faster such as a Goldberg Eagle 2 can add a few extra weekends of training time needed. [8D]