Tigerdude,
Ok, you got me baffled a bit here. The LT-40 is a trainer. It's primary purpose is to learn to fly on. Why would you want to spend good money to buy something else to learn on before you start flying your trainer? I can't remember what you said about getting instructions, but I assume that you are going to get an instructor to learn to fly. If that is the case then you will more than likely be using a buddy box (if you're not, find a new instructor), so the likelihood of you losing your plane is pretty slim. Is the plane going to get beat up while you learn? You bet it is. But that's why trainers are built tough, so they can take the beating they get while you learn.

Ok, this next statement is not meant as an insult at all but is rather an observation and a suggestion. I am not trying to insult you in any way. From the time I've seen you here on RCU I think you're a great guy who has developed a great love for this hobby, so I really do want to see you succeed. And that's why I am saying this. Ok, here goes---- You have admitted yourself in your build threads that you are a perfectionist (I know how it goes because I am one too). But then again most of us are in some form or fashion, we all want things to look good. And I think I have a pretty good idea about what is going through your mind. You don't want to "look" like a beginner out there when you bring your LT-40 out to the field. There is nothing wrong with thinking that. It's human nature. Especially when you are in front of a group of people that you respect or admire, you want them to accept you in their "group". So you feel like they won't respect your or accept you if you look bad. It's perfectly natural to think that. Heck I thought the same thing. And I would say it's a pretty safe bet that if we asked 100 RC pilots at least 99 of them would say it was the same way they felt too. So you are just like everybody else. But here comes the great part of it. All (well, at least most) of those pilots were in the SAME EXACT PLACE YOU ARE when they started. Nobody, and I mean nobody, looked perfect when they were learning. This includes those rare few that were able to teach themselves to fly. They may have taught themselves to fly, but I can assure you it wasn't pretty. Those pilots at the field expect you to have bumps, mistakes, close calls, etc.... That's all part of learning to fly. We have all been there. And next year at this time after you have learned to fly you'll be online here on RCU giving this same piece of information to some other "new guy" who doesn't want to look bad.

Now with that said, if this isn't what's on your mind I will apologize for having said that.

Hope this helps in some way

Ken