mosipd wrote: I am a HUGE R/C Helicopter nut, but I've dabbled with quite a few fixed winged aircraft as well. All I can say is that if you've never flown a fixed winged, or any R/C aircraft for that matter, get your self a good trainer. Tower Hobbies makes a good nitro powered trainer that is RTF (ready to fly) for about $300 USD. This would be something you could fly in a decently large field and crash without worry of major damage. The wing is held on by rubber bands usually and is designed to break off on impact. The wing also has a large amount of dihedral built in so it maintains steady, slow flight very easily (very important for landing). Another thing you can do to really help you along is using a "buddy box" system where your radio is connected to another so that an experienced pilot can take over if you get in any trouble. The logical skill progression is usually: High-wing trainer -> Low-wing Trainer -> 3D Style Plane and or ducted fan trainer -> Turbine powered aircraft. If you get out and fly on most weekends it wont take you long before you master the skill required to fly a ducted fan or turbine aircraft. It can take up to a year for a person learning to fly a helicopter to transition from a hover to forward flight.
Turbine powered ARF (almost ready to fly) kits can be bought for as cheap $1500 and that comes with gear retracts. The turbine it self for a comparable .60 sized aircraft will cost about $2000 and the equipment to start is will run about another $500. You would obviously need to buy a radio kit, and a good one at that, and at the minimum 5 servos. Plan on that costing about another $1000 and you should be all set. Building them can be a pretty daunting task as well if you've never assembled one before, its best to buy a cheap nitro powered ARF and practice on that. Another problem is finding a field to fly them at. If your close to a major airport that can be a problem as they can violate some FAA regulations. You will also need a paved runway to take off from and a HUGE amount of space to fly the thing. They can be extremely fast and land at very fast speeds.
If you need any more information, please don't hesitate to ask. Learning to fly any R/C aircraft can be a very rewarding experience and the hobby is extremely in depth. One other thing I would suggest is joining the AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics), and search for a flying club/field near you. Most fields are very accepting of new members and will gladly provide help and training for new members at no cost.
Great information there, mosipd. Thanks for posting. 
As I said above, I was a huge RC car fan for many years through my teens (dabbled in boats a bit too), and would've dearly loved to get into planes but the cost was a bit prohibitive back then.
I agree that a decent fixed wing trainer is an absolute must considering the cost and speed of the high-end stuff that I'd clearly like to aspire too. But it's definitely something I'd like to look into - maybe not immediately as the last thing I need at the moment is another super-expensive hobby(!), but definitely soonish. It's the nearest I'm ever going to get to being that fighter pilot I would've quite liked to be!
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(And before any of you let your dirty minds run away with you, I'm talking about building an RC jet! 
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The Concorde and the Hind especially... wow! 
