Any of the high wing trainers in RCKens list will be great. One I didnt see mentioned, and im not sure if its in Kens list is the Hangar 9 Arrow. One of the instructors in our club has trained numerous guys on them. He likes it because its a bit more aerobatic then some once you become more advanced. I learned on the Hangar 9 P51 mustang PTS and love it. I soloed with it after 9 flights and now have all the training gear off of it and its a great little sports plane. Oh, and im an old man at 40 and the mustang was the first plane I had ever flown. Some guys say its not the best to learn on, but I found it quite easy myself. To each their own I guess. Might be worth looking into if you like. I bought the rtf with the sim and spent alot of time on it and it did help.
I will agree with several other post in saying a good 2.4 radio like the spektrum dx6i, dx7, or futaba's radios are super. I switched to a dx7 today and made my first flights with it. Fantastic radio. No delay in response and the features are great. Its a far better radio then my jr sx600, but the jr is still a great little entry level radio.