Once you are a fully competent and safe flyer, go to http://www.chargerrc.com and get a CR-1.

This plane is by far the easiest building foamy ever made. It flies like a dream and will eventually teach you to hover, do low knife edge passes, waterfalls, rolling circles, rolling harriers and every IMAC sequence imaginable with minimal investment.

Crash it, glue it back and fly again in 2 minutes flat. Keep an extra one for when the thing is just too beat-up to fly and move your gear to the new one.

Although foam-skill does not translate directly to larger planes, the reflexes and confidence you gain will.

This plane has given me the reflexes needed to advance quickly toward 3D and IMAC. I fly mine every day....and almost anywhere. I am on my 6th one. I soloed in Nov 2005, so thats like one every 2 months or so at about 4 batteries per day...so 250 or so flights per plane, and they only cost $40 each to replace the entire airframe.

I really like these foamies.