I learned to fly on my Nexstar back in '05. The engine and radio equipment that come with the Nexstar Select RTF are top notch as far as quality. The airframe is nice looking and the landing gear is sturdy. My wife snapped this picture right before I made my first landing while working with a flight instructor at one of the local clubs:



The Nexstar Select RTF comes with some "features" that are detrimental to the performance of the airplane. The "wing pods" taped to the leading edge aren't a big problem, nor are the optional "air brakes" you can screw onto the wings. The ALS auto leveling system only works if you fly at noon, however. It should be disconnected before flying the plane.

I enjoyed using the flight simulator that came with the plane, as well. For me it was a chance for extra practice, it was also a nice consolation for evenings when I wanted to go flying but it was too windy or too rainy to head out to the field.

The Nexstar isn't the best plane to fly on a windy day. The deep wing chord and high angle of dihedral make the Nexstar difficult to turn into a head wind, causing it to balloon up like a kite. Crosswinds will push the Nexstar around as well, and I've seen good pilots get their planes flipped over while taking off or landing when a gust of wind came up.

On a good note, the Nexstar has a very gentle and predictable glide path. There may not be an easier trainer on the market with which to learn to land.

With regard to your field equipment and tools, you'll need between about $40 to $120 worth of accessories to get your Nexstar in the air.

Thunder Tiger sells a nice, basic field equipment package called the Side Kick:

http://www.thundertiger4u.com/thunde...ck-p-7708.html

For $35, this includes a 4-way prop & glow plug wrench, a fuel cap kit with extra fuel line, a glow ignitor and charger, a fuel pump, a "chicken" stick for starting your plane, and even a cardboard carrying caddy. This is the bare minimum of equipment necessary, along with a bottle of glow fuel from your local hobby store, to fly your plane.

What you'll more typically find at the local flying field is something like this Hobbico bundle with power accessories:

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXL419&P=0

There is a wooden field box kit that requires assembly and painting. It comes with a 12v field box battery and a power panel. The power panel distributes the field box battery power to the electric starter, the electric fuel pump, and the glow ignitor clip.

You'll eventually want to add a few basic tools to your field box like a decent flat blade and phillips' head screw driver, a set of allen wrenches, a pair of needle nose pliers, and the like. Spare parts like extra propellers and glow plugs are also quite handy.

Good luck and good shopping! Feel free to ask additional questions as they pop up.