I'm going to jump in late on this thread and agree Strongly with "goingstraightup". I had two trainers(don't ask)- a PT40 with the low dihedral wing, and the Aerostar. The PT40 was a great first kit and good plane. I liked the Aerostar even better. The engine thing is a bit nebulus-I think everyone would agree that a bearing 46 is "superior" to a bushing 40.....but for what purposes. In learnining to fly you want most of all a well behaved even tempered engine. A 40 LA fits the bill, and as you KNOW its not a powerhouse there will be no temptation to wringe just a bit more power from it. When I was stupider just a few years ago I spent too much NRG trying to get my engine really cranking-with the resultant deadsticks! No way to learn basic flight. As far as the arguement "you can use the engine on your next plane" I am not convinced-I always end up keeping my planes intact, and buy new engines for each kit. YMMV good luck