Hey Ryan,

My suggestion is to go with the Avistar....it was my first plane and I absolutely loved it. Because of the semi-symmetrical wing it does land a bit faster, but nothing you can't handle if you are careful. And you can also put a .46 in it later when you get comfortable with the plane and want more power. In the meantime the OS .40 LA is a good running, dependable engine. Not a lot of power but but they run great.
Like I suggested in my previous post.....get hooked up with an instructor, they will help you avoid a bunch of stuff you don't want to happen.
Also, do a search in this forum on the Avistar and the other planes that you think you may want. There is a ton of information on this.

Good luck..happy flying

Rick
Albuquerque R/C Club