Thanks for all the help guys. This summer I will probably order another Alpha Trainer or similar plane, perhaps the new alpha with the DSM2 radio, or maybe an Alpha 60. Any advice on learning to land properly? My Ember is apparently not that useful for practicing landings, since its a taildragger, not to mention that its an order of magnitude smaller and slower. I guess, unlike my ember, the flare is not optional on the alpha. Of course, I knew this last summer, but could never really get the flare just right. Does one start pulling back on the stick when the plane is around 5 feet above the ground? Or 10 feet? or 1 foot? I suppose I could try to practice this at high altitude, but Im not sure about the usefulness of practicing on an imaginary runway.

I also thought about a simulator for my computer (eg, RealFlight or FSone), especially if my new plane comes with a transmitter than can be connected to my computer. Are these accurate enough to be useful?

Thanks