Goofup's info for newbies is very good.

I'd recommend the SlowStick - got one for my 7yr old son. He's doing great. Having started in this hobby about a year ago, I shopped around for good deals and outfitted his SlowStick for about $175 (kit, tx, rx, xtal, servos, esc, battery packs). It shouldn't take you more than 2 hours to put together.

The beginner planes is a good thread too.