I don't know if you are interested in electrics for a first plane, but there are several good ones. I have an Aerobird, but you can get into a complete, ready-to-fly for as little as $90.

Resources Aerobird, Sky Scooter Pro, Others

Here is an internet site that sells the Aerobird for $159. They also have a
link for a video of the plane flying:
http://www.parkflyers.com/html/aerobird.html
Here is a link to a review of the Aerobird:
http://www1.wildhobbies.com/news/def...&articleid=853

As I said, my alternative plane was the Sky Scooter Pro. It had been about
$260 RTF, but the price for a fully ready to fly version has come down
recently to about $170 so you might want to give it serious consideration.
http://www.servocity.com/ServoCity/P...lane/sky_scoot
er_r_c_airplane.html
Videos
http://www.hitecrcd.com/Funtec/videos.htm

Fighterbird - review and video - these are a blast in pairs!
http://www.rcuniverse.com/reviews.ph...ew&reviewid=33

And, for a real entry level plane that gets lots of great reviews, the
Firebird II ($90 RTF). The best thing to do might be to get a Firebird II and
save the extra $100 toward extra batteries and stuff, or toward your next
plane.
http://www.hobbymerchandiser.com/pdfs/nov01_Flight.pdf

Regardless of what you fly, if you fly near woods or a corn field or something you want to add some kind of locator for your plane. You can see my post on locators here:
lo
cators for small electrics]