RE: Need opinion on first plane
Eh, I'll put my $.02 in for the PTS P-51D trainer.
Though it needs some work as it comes out of the box even though it's touted as a RTF...
I flew it on my very first try at this, on the same morning I soloed.
It's THAT docile when configured properly and THAT easy to learn on.
All of this is documented on the PTS thread.
Once you are done with the easy stuff it scales up nice to a sports model by making a few rather cosmetic changes.
A good deal all around.
The only caveat is the leftward yaw on take off, so an instructor for the first flight or two, is mandatory.