Well, I'm going to be the differing opinion here. First of all, there is nothing wrong with four channel radios. And you won't necessarily outgrow them. I've been flying for 12 years and I still have several 4 channels radios that I use all the time. To be totally honest with you, it's easy to say you need a radio for flaps and gear later on down the road, but a majority of pilots will never get to that point. Take a look at a vast majority of the sport planes out there these days and you'll see that they only require 4 channels. Yes, if you get into warbirds or 3D you may need more channels later. But trying to predict what type of plane you are flying in 2-4 years from now is really silly. So this is one reason why I recommend that beginners start out with bare bones basic radios. They can decide what advanced features later on after they start figuring out what kind of flying they are going to do.

The other reason I recommend a bare bones beginner radio is because student need to learn how to fly a plane. Also they need to learn how to set up a plane. I can't even count any more how many beginners I have seen using a computer radio to simply "adjust" with the radio to correct a setup on a radio, and then wind up with a plane that is at a mechanical disadvantage. They need to learn how to properly make mechanical adjustments to a plane instead of cheating with a radio. The same goes with flying the plane. They need to learn how to properly fly a plane and what to do with the sticks instead of letting a radio make adjustments for them. Pilots that rely on a radio will always need that "crutch" and will almost always be at a disadvantage.

And last, with a basic four channel radio there are several things you can do with it later on. Keep it and use it on a plane later on down the road. Use it as a buddy box later on. Pay it forward and donate it to somebody else getting started.

As to what brand to get. Here's my suggestion. Locate the club you are going to fly at and see what your instructor uses. This way he is more likely to have a buddy box that will hook up to your radio. Also, if you get the same brand he will be better suited to help you out. But in the four big names, Futaba, JR, Airtronics, and Hitec, the are all great radios and will do well.

Hope this helps

Ken