Clint if ya don"t mind doing some repairing now and again you can learn by yourself ,since you have a sim ramp up the wind on it and see how you do.
its been a while since I have been there, but I remember Ireland being pretty windy and trainers are a bit floaty the wind blows them around allot, were you refering to the NEXTAR ? I re-learned on it and it does fly great. the wind will blow it around a bit but its a easy plane to land,and fly. a Towerhobbies.com trainer works fine also and is cheap. IMHO get a trainer with a OS engine they run forever and you can use it in your next plane no matter what brand you get . best piece of advice after getting your plane find a local club and a little help for your first flights after a few flights you will be fine.