I would suggest getting a Parkzone T-28 or Corsair. I have flown (and crashed) the T-28, and have seen the Corsair fly and the both fly beautifully. They are full function airplanes with elevator, rudder, and ailerons which is great for good control. The RTF comes with brushless and lipo, as well as a lipo charger. All of this for around $220-240 for the RTF version.

Also, find a field in your area and see if you can get someone to help you set it up and fly it with you for the first couple of times so you will have less of a chance of crashing it right away. If you do crash it, they are easy to fix. Heck, I saw one of our club members slam a T-28 head first, full throttle into the concrete building right next to our flying field. The next day it was flying again after a bunch of glue and some rebuilt parts. It really is a nice and durable plane, as well as being easy to fix with a hot glue gun or foam CA glue.

I could be wrong, but I personally do not think that either of these planes is out of reach for a newbie, but it would help immensely if he has some help from some experienced flyers.