For learning 3D the GP U Can Do 3D is the best plane that I've seen so far. As far as learning 3D Frank Noll said something to the effect of- I'll teach you to torque roll for $100. Go buy yourself $100 worth of fuel. That's where sim's come in handy. You can save money on fuel and 'practice planes' by practicing on a sim. I've flown 3 hours on G3 and can notice that my flying is so much better than it was before. Scale planes are harder to do 3D with, but are workable.