Well I bit the bullet and ordered a trainer. Back when I was 10-13 years old (18 years ago now!) I built a bunch of planes with my dad but we never followed through and flew them. Now I have decided to follow through and really learn to fly these things. I ordered up a Tower Trainer with a GMS .47 motor. Should be a nice little setup with good power. Can't wait to start learning!

I am debating between a couple clubs in San Diego. Anyone here have a suggestion?

You made a great choice. Good luck with your training!

You are taking the right path for sure.
My only suggestions are get hooked up with an instructor before you start assembly of your trainer. He will help you avoid any mistakes you might make.
And do exactly as your instructor tells you, there are reasons that may not seem appearant at the time but make sense later and be patient, Rome wasn't built in a day and there is plenty to learn.

With the GMS .47, make sure that you leave the needles set as it comes out of the box.

Tighten the fittings ( but watch out not to overdo it as some are easy to break or strip ), especially wherever you see one of the red spacer/washers.

After you've run the engine for a tank or two, plan on tightening down all of the cap screws with a hex driver.

If you find that the muffler "spins" on you, push the muffler's exhaust hemisphere firmly in while tightening the long screw. This is what actually holds thing in place... then once tight, tighten the provided nut.

Check the muffler nipple after the first few flights. Make sure that there is no gunk clogging the pressure fitting.

I find that the GMS engines need to run with the low end a little leaner than what one would normally set for a typical 2 stroker, but at the same time with the high end a bit richer. This smooths out the midrange transition.

Once you have it broken in, it's a good strong engine.

The Tower Trainer .40 MkII ARF is a wonderful airframe. The GMS .47 is a very powerful engine, it will require a little extra run time before it breaks in, but you will be rewarded with tremedous power and instant throttle response.

I just hope you remembered to order a radio system w/ servos if you didn't get the RTF version of the Tower Trainer. Your reference to the GMS engine rather than the Tower Hobbies .46 led me to believe you've ordered seperate components.

Congratulations on your excellent choices for engine and airframe!

GOOD advice so far !
Also check to be sure you have no air leaks in the fuel system. a little dab of silicone on a tooth pic during your original set up is worth the effort on junctions especially if it uses a remote needle valve. lock tite (not the super strong kind) is your friend. Be a VERY GOOD craftsman with the tank assembly...NO SHARP EDGES... you will save yourself a BIG head ache! I like the solder on tips [8D]

Thanks everyone for the good advice! I will definitely get hooked up with an instructor early on before I start my build process. As far as the radio is concerned I have a Futaba 7UAP Super. It's old but works fine and I didn't want to spend more money. I have a bunch of servos in a box but I might buy all new ones for my plane seeing as they are cheap.

If the servos work, there's no need to buy new ones. Just make sure you pick out four of them that still turn quickly and smoothly without hesitating or buzzing.

Sounds like you're all set!