If you're looking for a scale EDF to get you ready for turbines take a look at the planes at Jet Hangar Hobbies (www.jethangar.com) They have some EDF specific kits as well as conversions of some of thier older ICDF kits. JHH's owner Larry Wolfe has been in jets for decades and his F-86, Panther and Cougar are great flying planes with no real bad tendencies. For years the JHH F-86 was considered one of the best entry level jets on the market. They're medium size so they're easy to transport, use standard servos and basic retracts, all of which will help keep the cost down. When it comes to batteries check out Hobbyking.com. Their batteries a significantly cheaper than the name brands and in actual use people are reporting performance as good as the big names for a fraction of the cost.