Jim,

Before you buy anything, talk with members of the club you are going to join. I found out too late that the club I joined had a trainer I could have learned to fly on for free!
I had already bought my NexStar RTF which is a great trainer, but there are others that are cheaper. I liked it because everything was in one package so I didn't have to mess with learning how to mount the engine, electronics, etc initially.

Good luck and welcome to RCU and to the RC Plane hobby! Both are a lot of fun.