Ron,
I have two of each CPP2, and B400's....and everything that Gilles told you is true, the CPP2 will be a step down in stability, ease of flight, visibility, and is really not all that less expensive to repair in most crashes...
I strongly also agree on the sim...I have both Realflight G4, and Phoenix, and they were/are the best money I've spent in the hobby, hands down. They are not perfect, but they get you moving the sticks in the right directions, which is half the battle...
I have used mine to practice new stuff that I want to try, and then when I do to it in real life, it's very close to what the sim has taught me...
The one upside to the CPP2, is that once you DO learn to fly it, everything else is a piece of cake! Going from flying my CCP2's to the B400's is great, really makes me appreciate the larger 450 class helis...
If you are going to check out sims, don't overlook Phoenix, for helis, it is considered to be the best by many people, including myself. More realistic physics, better graphics, cheaper, and all the upgrades, new models, flying sites etc are always free...
Not to put down G4/G4.5....I just like Phoenix alot better for my own heli training, Realflight is also an excellent sim, you can't go wrong with either one.
A couple of things to consider when comparing the two...
With Phoenix you must supply your own radio, (the DX6i is fine with it), with G4, you can use your own radio, but have to make each model you want to fly with your radio a special "pass through" model. I personally like using the same radio for sim practice as I do in real life flying, to me, that is a big advantage.
Phoenix is less demanding on computer resources/hardware. G4 is kind of a resource hog, and likes lots of PC horsepower. Phoenix is a bit "lighter" with little or no compromise in performance or graphics...
Just my 2 cents!
If you want more info on Phoenix, check here;
http://www.phoenix-sim.com/welcome.htm
Oh, and don't bother shopping around for Phoenix, it's only available from the manufacturer, which is in England. The shipping is very fast, and affordable, mine arrived in two days!
Another tip, if the demo of Phoenix runs OK on your PC, the real sim will as well...so you can verify that before you order...
Good luck, and have fun!
Glenn