I personally am partial to gas, but I am sure someone else can give you some good electric recomendations. Here are some good choices IMO for your first gas Plane.

1.Sig LT-40 ARF or Kit (Its big and easy to see with lots of lift, very stable, and easily powered with any good .40 size 2 stroke.)

2.Hangar 9 Alpha .40 RTF (Comes equipped with good Evolution .40 TPS Engine, and Radio and Equipment. Priced at around $280 RTF is a great bargain for a Trainer Plane that flys very well, and is also fairly good size and stable. The Engine is also high quallity and can move up into your next .40 size Plane.)

3.Tower Trainer .40 ARF (A real bargain at around $60, and a good Flyer. I would stay clear of the RTF in this model though. The Tower .46 Engine is notorious for troubles, and that is no way to start out. So choose your own equipment for this one.)

4.Hobbico Nexstar .46 RTF (At around $400, it is a tad overpriced in my opinion, but it does come with a Simulator for that particular Plane which is nice if you do not own the G2 or G3. I own both the G2 and G3, so I found the Sim useless. The Plane is also equipped with an AFS (Automatic Flight Stabilization) unit, but most people I know don't bother to use this feature. What I like is the Super Slow Landing Speeds. This Plane has a stall speed of about 8mph which is about half the speed of any other Trainer. Another good feature is the high quallity O.S .46 AX engine on the nexstar that is powerfull enough to move right into your next Plane after you master the Nexstar. The nexstar also has some nice curves and looks good in the air.)

5.Great Planes PT-40 Kit (If you wanna build a kit, the PT series of Trainers are notorious for good flight characteristics, and many a pilot has earned there wings on one of these.)

These are only Planes I have personal experience with, have owned, and I feel comfortable recommending. I am sure though that there are other people who can add to my list.