The .049 powered trainers tend to be a little on the squirrelly side. I got my son airborne on a simple balsa .049 trainer called the "Student". If you fly over grass they are hard to do a rise off ground (ROG) takeoff. Upon landing they flip as soon as the wheels touch down.

He graduated to a Brodak Training Streak with a .15 engine. That's where he learned to take off, land, wingovers and inside loops. It has a basically flat bottom airfoil solid balsa wing so inverted is a little tough.

After the Training Streak he moved over to a U-Key 15 ARF (no longer available in this size) and mastered inverted and outside loops.

I have high regards for the Top Flite Flight Streak ARF which works very well with the LA 25 and would probably moved him to this after he could fly out the tank on an .049 ship.