ORIGINAL: FatOrangeKat
Well, I was the first to respond about the computer radios, etc., and while I can't disagree with everyone else who posted after me as they all have MUCH more experience, I can say that personally I got a trainer with the option of having dual aileron servos and flaps, and am getting a second plane that utilizes 7 servos and flaps. I like the 'bells and whistles' like flaps and retracts and whatever else to make a model plane seem more realistic, so a 6 channel radio was the way to go for me.
This is exactly the point I make here. Many beginners get a plane with "bells and whistles" on it and think that they need to use them all. And this is exactly why I recommend bare bones radios for beginners, so that they won't be tempted to play with all the gadgets. FatOrangeKat, I understand your situation on your plane. But in your case the dual aileron servos can easily be plugged into a Y-harness and there is no need to have a computer radio to control dual servos. As far as the flaps go, 99 times out of 100 you'll never use flaps while training. As an instructor I tell my students to not even worry about things like flaps and instead concentrate on learning to fly the plane and not play with the gadgets. A properly designed trainer will fly slow enough to land without having to use flaps, so IMHO they shouldn't even be on a the trainer to start with. Once a student has learned the basics of flight and has soloed then I encourage them to explore all that's available on aircraft out there, but when learning they should concentrate on learning the basics of flying.
Ken