RE: Mechanical retract question
Newb,
I'm going to agree with Warhwk, retracts are something that you're probably not ready for. Retracts are very sensitive to rough landings, and this being your second plane you will more than likely have many many rough landings. They also require a lot (and I mean a lot) of preventive maintenance, which means that you will be inspecting and adjusting them almost every flying day. They also add something else to go wrong (and trust me, Murphy loves retracts) when you are flying. IMHO forget about the retracts for now.
I hope you don't think that I'm trying to shoot down your ideas, because I'm not. I understand that you are really excited about this hobby, and that you want to "do it all", but you can't do it all in one plane. I remember being your age and hating it when people told me to wait, it will happen eventually, but it's true here. Hang in there. You will have plenty of time to try lots of different things.