I have to agree with Piper Chuck and SST, I'm building my third plane now and I only have a 4 channel radio (well technically 5). Mine is a JR 421EX. This is a basic computer radio for a good price. If you wanted to buy a buddy box to go with it, it will only cost you about $50 more to get a JR Quatro Buddy Box (That's what I did).

What you said about flying simulators: A good idea would be to get a simulator for RC planes. There are several good ones on the market (for a price) and several that you can download for free that aren't that bad (but do lack a few things). When I first decided to get back into the hobby after being away for a few years I tried hooking my game controller up to my flight sim (full size airplanes) but I found that they handle differently than RCs do. An RC sim should help your learning curve when you start (with an instructor) with the real RCs.