Welcome to the hobby, more like an addiction. Take everyones advice! Keep in mind that a lot of this advice comes from ones mistakes! Take your time and build two or three planes maybe even a smaller twin taildragger to get you used to what to expect when you put your $$$$ dream bird in the air. I have been flying since 95 and have wanted a turbine powered jet since 96, I got into ducted fans in 2000 and lost my A-4 on the second flight due to the lack of knowledge required to operate them, talk about and expensive steep learning curve! I just got my first solo turbine flight last thursday so you can see it takes time to reach that ultimate project that you dream about. Not only will you need to fly well but the bigger and more complex your plane gets, the less tolerance it will have to abuse so building technique and proper set up and maintenance practices will only contribute to your success. Don't want to scare you, but for me at least I would rather learn from someone elses mistakes than make them on my own and have them say I told you so! Trust me I have made my share of stupid mistakes and I am sure others will tell you the same. This is a great hobby, I wish you the best of luck in your new hobby. One last thing and I will shut up. Ask lots of questions! Never be afraid to ask or think a question is stupid, the only one that is stupid is the one that you did not ask that ended up costing you that beautiful DC-3!

Chris