Been there and have done all of that. For what it is worth the best plane to start with is the Great Planes Big Stick 40. You can land it very slow without stalling. I think it is easier to fly than the so called trainers. It responds well and the controls are not mushy. You will also not outgrow or get bored with it like you would your normal trainers. If you don't have someone to train you or use a buddy box put your money into the G3 flight simulation software. Then you will be fine with the stick. The plane runs around $120.00. Good luck!