I also would have to agree with the above advice. I am very new to this as well but I have already leaned some lessons. Against the recommendations of experienced friends I purchased a plane that was beyond my experience level. This resulted in about 3-4 minutes total of flight time before I crashed and broke the plane beyond flyable. Eventhough it wasn't expensive, it was still about $140 down the drain. I have since done a lot of research and purchased a plane more suited to my experience level. It may not be fancy and may not look cool in the air but with it I can take off, fly around and land coming home with an unbroken and flyable plane which is much more gratifying than seeing a cool looking plane in the air for a few moments only to watch it come screaming towards tera firma towards it's inevetable end. Look for something with a high wing and dihedral, this will help with stability and self righting capabilities. Larger the wing span the more stable. Most importantly do your home work and heed the advice of the experienced member, even if it isn't what you want to hear.

Good Luck

Brett