I agree with dave's recommendations. You might also want to consider a simple 2 channel plane to find your feet with - like a Firebird XL. Dave's suggested route is cheaper in the long run (eg. buy a reasonable tx to start with), but if money is a factor it's better to get a cheap 2 channel plane and get flying then to not start at all because of the initial cost.

Check out e-zone for lots of electric info

Peter