Hi mikmaxx

Here is some friendly advise from my experience with the Dynaflite Butterfly.

1 I would not recommend this plane for to anyone as a first glow plane !!! The Butterfly is a kit plane and took me the better part of 100 hours to build.
2 The Butterfly is a very stable and slow flying plane but can be difficult to fly and land in a strong breeze. ( If you are flying Park Flyers now you can already relate to this )
3 The Butterfly is a three channel .10-.20 plane ( No ailerons and small engine ).
4 If you have never built and covered a kit plane you are going to need some basic building and covering tools. ( more expense. ) and a place to build the plane and the 99" wing !!!
5 You are going to have to make a transition from a 2 channel 1 stick radio to a 3 channel two stick radio. ( Throttle on the left and rudder/elevator on the right. )
6 The Butterfly is a taildragger and can be a bit more difficult to taxi and take off than a trike gear plane.
7 As to your question of can the Butterfly help you learn to fly a trainer.., The Butterfly is listed as a trainer airplane but has some drawbacks for a beginner as I have listed above.

My recommendations would be to start out with a .40 size 4 channel ARF ( Almost Ready to Fly ) trainer such such as the Tower 40 Trainer http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXCAS2&P=0 It cost only about 5 dollars more than the Butterfly and can be built even by a first timer in a couple of evenings with very few tools ( you probably already have these at home ) and a little epoxy glue. It can be assembled in a smaller area, it is a very stable airplane and can take the wind much better than the Butterfly. It has ailerons using 4 channels and uses a larger engine, With it you would only have to make one transition from your 2 channel radio instead of going to a 3 channel and then on to 4 channels plus you would start out with an engine that is large enough to use on a much larger variety of airplanes.

My old Butterfly is still alive and well but again I would not recommend this kit as a first glow plane or a trainer. There are far too many planes out there that are better trainers than the Butterfly.

Just my .02 worth.

P.S If at all possible find a good instructor to help you on your first flights, as you stated earlier in the thread you can fly a Park Flyer but 4 channel glow planes are going to be quite an adjustment even if you are using a simulator at home. There are a couple of clubs in your area and it should be easy to find an instructor. AMA has a club locator on their web site at http://www.modelaircraft.org/

Sorry for the long winded reply.....

Dale