My AUS 10c (+GST) worth: you want something larger than a 1/2A, with a dependable, easy handling engine. Back in "the day" my friends and I all learned to fly with profile .049 models and Cox reed valve engines. Some of us thrived on this combo and I still love playing with 1/2As, but in my opinion starting that way put off far more people than it ever enticed into the hobby.

Having seen an ARF flite streak there is no way I would recommend one as a basic trainer either. Firstly, its fragile. Second, the instructions with the ARF streak are way off the mark in their recommended CG, leading to a very challenging model. Third (and this is subjective opinion only), a .25 - .35 size model pulls far harder and may be more intimidating for a beginner.

So - my recommended entry to C/L would be a something in the .09 - .20 range. Something like a Brodak Flite Streak trainer with an Enya .15-V or comparable "traditional" .15 would be a good basic trainer. Other good choices of engine would be an Enya 09 or Enya 19, or one of the older cross-flow OS MAX 15s (which I think are a wonderful sports flying .15). If you're in the US, there's probably suitable engines from Fox, but other than a single un-run Fox .35 I have no experience with them and for the most part stick to Enyas, OSes, PAW diesels and the usual 1/2A suspects like Cox & Norvel.

That same .15 will then be a good engine for a more advanced second model, say a JR Flite Streak.

None of this is how I got started - profile 1/2A with Cox reed valves, then a PAW 19 diesel. However, I think it would be an easier entry than the way I did it. When I got back into C/L a couple of years ago after a nearly 20 year lay-off, my first decent new model was a JR Flite Streak with a 1970s cross flow OS MAX 15 - wonderful combination and a lot of fun.

cheers,
Colin