Pilot 727, you should maybe have a ook at some other electrics, I've a Mulitplex Acromaster and Extreme Flight 45" Extra, both are full 3D planes. I've recently bought a new set of 2250 batteries, 4 of them cost me less than £90 approx $180 at recent exchange rates and each of them gives me over 14 mins flight time so just under an hours continuous flying- think a lot of it is how the cost of batteries has come down recently but it's a changed market and if you compare the cost of them to gas probably works out cheaper.

Basty,
If you've copter experince that will help but again re-iterate that a simulator is one of the best things you can get initially.

Unfortunately it's one of those things if you try and go too advanced too soon you'll just end up destroying planes in seconds, I had the Super Cub and then tried an Art Tech Mustang and an Ultrafly PC9, neither of which lasted more than 12 seconds before they were a pile of foam carted off in bin bags !!!!!

The Super Cub or whichever one you go to start with in 2 / 3 months you'll be looking for something more advanced / with ailerons and personally I went to the Multiplex MiniMag then and flew it and flew it and flew it. You could possibly go for the MiniMag straight off as it can be used as 3 channel and then you cut the slots for the ailerons and attach the servo's which you install when you 1st build it at a later stage, my biggest concern is it'll probably be a faster set up which is the last thing you want for your 1st dozen or flights.

Summary - go with someonething more advanced which should probably be a second plane and risk totally destroying it on the 1st flight and the end up buying the less advanced plane to get you through the initial stages and then having to but the more advanced the second time round as you totalled it on your 1st attempt - OR - go with the beginners plane to start with, hace someothing you can then keeo to teach friends on alternatively sell and get some of your money back and the buy the second plane at the right time and once only - hopefully.

How quickly you advance totally depends on the person, I started in January 2007, in April that year I bought the MiniMag and started basic aerobatics with it, by end of July was doing most things the plane could and flying inverted etc having increased the throws and started moving the CoG back to make it more responsive, in August last year I bought my Acromaster and was flying it round very high, very slowly with my heart in my mouth as it was such a different beast in comparison. By October was confidently doing most aerobatics with it and am now learning and able to do most 3D including harriers / rolling harriers to a degree, hovering (for 20 seconds to 1 minute), slow rolling circles etc but am not a 3D expert by any means.

Again hope that's of some help, the simulator as well if you do get one, you can download loads of other models and would recommed getting the E-Flight Mini Edge and Mini Funtana and the SebArt Katana as they're more responsive which if you can fly a more responsive one on the Sim is only going to make it easier to fly less responsive planes for real !!!!

Hope that helps, any other queries buzz me a PM.

Just my two cents-I have both the Nexstar and a Sig LT40. Hands down the Sig is far superior in all aspects of flight. I like them both for what they are but for beginning flight I would suggest the Sig LT40. The LT will fly well with many engines, very lite wing loading. My vote for looks would go to the nextstar. Go with Glow, feels more like an airplane.

Some of my experience is very close to Witterings, as same feat with the mustang, tho the Super Cub did make the duration flights with many tape fixes and responded with over 200 enjoyable flights...

Aileron ship:
My 2nd succesful plane after the Super Cub, was the amazing Stryker B, not the faster C, tho now have the C version... The Strker B is being discontinued but still may find it available, is a nice aileron ship and will handle some winds, went thru near same number of great flights with it as well....keep it abit close on the visual, takes awhile to get use to its orientation with the diamond shape..<>..love it...<>..

3rd is the gentle Multiplex Easy Star Glider, a true winner with 30 minute flights the norm, easy with any lift, its a layed back but wonderful sunday flyer, nice starter plane for the newbie....

Many others but above my favored todate, have the Parkzone Trojan tageted as next fun trial, rather good reviews on this nice one...<>..

Just my personal top choices
Super Cub, now Night Flights, will tape fix, takes abuse, check the reviews, off the chart !!! Excellent for the newbie
Stryker B, aileron plane, orientation issue due to shape, simply keep her close, beauty to fly
Multiplex Easy Star Glider, wow 30 minutes layed back fun, chasing thermals will keep you busy here, nice newbie ship..<>..

PS caution on Strykers, many have issues on launch, simply hold slightest up elevator with nice firm toss into the breeze, it will still drop only slightly but go level for your at full throttle, then watch the wings as respond quickly, is a CONTINUAL hands on the controls to keep them level, watch for over control, likes to roll on you, just be ready, get some decent elevation before turn around, again keep her abit close on visual, you'll love it...<>...

Last is a safety issue on strykers prop on release, suggest power off on throw, perhaps the best way, but I simply do a full follow thru on toss and the arm drops safely out of the way, hundreds of tosses and no issues with COMPLETE FOLLOW THRU, IMPORTANT !! A jacket might give some protecton as well here, if your not comfortable by all means do the power off on toss !!

I started out with a hobbico electristar, this was a great plane to learn with. But It got boring fast. The flight times were 8 minutes max, And at 6-8 minutes power was almost gone. I fixed this by converting it to a .46 AX. Now this plane is my favorite plane again. I can fly for bare mininum 15 minutes now, and the power is awesome and lasts the whole time. Hell the thing will climb unlimited vertical now.

I have now bought a t28 trojan, a stryker c, a pz spitfire, and a 60 size p51 < which I have'nt flown yet. And the star is a fun plane. Oh and one more thing I have only been flying for 3 months, But I have had some crashes, and more on the way. Like this 15 year pilot told my buddy (EVERYTIME I FLY MY PLANES I BLOW THEM A KISS GOOD BYE, BECAUSE YOU DO NOT KNOW IF THERE COMING BACK)

Beginners looking for a plane are advised to go through RCKen's list of first and second planes.

While Ken has an extensive list of good trainers, there is not much on his page about park flyers or electrics.

Not all people prefer nitro over electric. Especially with the recent advances in batteries and motors...

Actually Ken's list includes electrics.

Certain Parkflyers are purposely excluded due to their problematic nature.

Matt1977,
Couldn't agree with you more on that especially as you can take a park flyer to any reasonable size piece of open space including the local park and you don't have to know how to tune an engine etc and some of them are superb for the self taught.
The recent advancement has made it much easier to get into and has opened up the hobby to a much larger audience !!!!
There are still some dinosaurs out there that because they did it the old way IT'S THE ONLY WAY (some of them still think the world's flat as well !!!!!!) and it's suprising the number of not so narrow minded people at the club that I go to that have been flying for years and are now enjoying the simplicity of electric and quality of planes available that have as good and often better flying characteristics as their IC planes and now enjoy the combination of both !!!!!!!!
Personally I've never had the pleasure of an IC plane and wouldn't know where to start with one but love nothing more than the sound and smell of them when I arrive at the club - something you just don't get from electric !!!!! Just because I've only ever flown electric though doesn't mean I damn IC which often seems to be what comes back from some of the old school and I think it's such a shame and some of them have their heads buried VERY deeply in the sand especially if you then dare to mention that it may possibly be made of anything but Balsa !!!!!