Flying only on weekends most new flyers at our club take about 2-3 months to pass their wings. Of course with our weather you will miss the odd weekend due to high winds or rain. Fuel wise its about 1 1/2 gallons. This is with a standard 4 channel trainer such as a Sig LT40 or Tower Hobbies trainer. Buying a reliable engine also helps a lot such as an OS 46 AX. Their are cheaper engines but for an easy to tune reliable engine with good power this engine is at the top of the list. [8D][8D]