i was just at my local hobby store the other day and saw a package where you get a heli max axe ez and a sim (G3.5 i think) for about 235 bucks i think ...knowing what i (think) i know now i would have jumped on that if it was offered when i first got in the hobby. I must say i dont fly my co-ax heli much now (CX2) but it helped me SO much with orientation and even starting minor repairs, before i moved up to the collective pitch helis like what you have now. {my cx2 comes in handy when i am at home and just have to fly!}
Now you can get an Esky lama V3 or 4 for under 100 bucks - i have seen as little as 70 bucks. Now i should have started by saying what i always say - if you put 10 RC-ers in a room you will get 11 opinions .....but the good thing is you will at least get feedback and that is better than the alternative. I have heard of folks that learned on collective pitch helis and did just fine.
I have found this hobby to be so much fun and now am at building my 2nd (still chicken to fly it
) and can hover an entire battery pack w/o landing ...that makes me feel like king of the world [sm=punching.gif]
enjoy the hobby bud ..and welcome
ciao