If your not to fussy about scale (and by that I mean winning top gun) A Byron f-16 is probably the best to learn on - However probably any of the major manufactures are good (except bvm - his ship is 100% scale - even the airfoil, not that it flies bad but you should have time under your belt first). I learned on a byron f-16 and have to say it is the jet that almost everyone learned on. Just look at any mag with a jet fly in the 80's and early 90's, everyone had a byron of some kind and most were f-16's - there is a reason for that. First (partly because of the cheater hole) you can't stall the airplane. If you pull the power off and put the nose up it just mushes - if you are high speed and put it in a turn and pull full back on the elevator - it just slows down. Dosen't wiggle, waggle, or stall - just keeps going. If you do a paint job with a dark belly (eg. thunderbirds) you don't notice the cheater hole. When you learn to fly and you move on to a bvm for instance - you can use it as an everyday - go out and have fun plane and not worry about crashing $4000's. I saw a plane and a power package for sale here and you could have one going for about $1000!! Lands like a prop pattern plane - slow and easy. Not saying any of the others can't but i have routinly seen them land at a fast walk - NO KIDDING! haven't seen that with any others. True it does age faster but it's easy to repair and real easy to service.(No digging through equip and ducting - just invert and unbolt the engine) If you get one I can tell you some hints to make life easier for you - like engine reliabiliy and fuel systems. (had an f-16 for 8 years now and goes great, got an a-4 after and love it) How can you tell I love this plane!!