I assume he's also an RC novice, so the above will also apply.

In terms of costs, this is a pretty INEXPENSIVE kit as far as RC stuff goes... so sit down as the price is about to go up!


You'll need:

Two identical plastic 55mm EDF fans
Two identical 3600kv 200w+ brushless motors to fit those fans ~ 15A current handling
Two identical 20-25A Brushless ESC's ( you'll need to disable the BEC on one )
One 11.1v 2200mAh 3S 20-25C LiPo pack, ( one flight per pack so more than one pack is advisable )
One Balance charger for 3S LiPo packs and power supply
Two sets of Male and Female Deans fittings ( you'll need to make up your own "Y" adapter or wire in the ESC's in parallel ).
One RC Transmitter, preferably a 2.4gHz unit
One RC five channel receiver, preferably a small 2.4gHz unit. ( NOT A Parkflyer RX unless it is full range... )
Two 8" Servo extensions
Two 4" Servo extensions
Five identical micro ( 9g ) servos ( one will need to be a reversed servo so programmable servos are best, and you'll need a programmer! ).

That's all I can think of.

The basic KIT is $90.00. You'll easily spend another $150.00+ outfitting the plane on the cheap and that is WITHOUT the 2.4ghz transmitter. You can spend more too depending upon what you get.

You'll also need to do some soldering and electrical work, learn how to solder Deans connectors, deal with LiPo's, etc.
It would be advisable to have an on-board timer on your transmitter, though a simple audible stick on timer will suffice.

As I said a local club is a great resource. Other electric flyers will know all about this stuff.