There are always lots of different opinions here depending on who you talk to. So based on all the advice out there and considering a first timers budget here is our advice.
Before the indestructible foamie was invented we all used to learn on a basic crunchie rudder-elevator model, and then progress onto something more aerobatic. The advantages with this was that you learned a bit about your planes while building and most importantly also learned how to find thermals, lift and use the slope effectively. However the big disadvantage with this way of learning is that you could only afford one accident and then it was time to go home and get rebuilding.
Now days most people go straight for an aileron foamie indestructible model and learn by having as many mistakes as possible, without having to rebuild anything. A real plus advantage of the "crunchie". However, the disadvantage is that you tend to learn very little about the mechanics of flying and using thermal lift effectively. Also you end up being foamie-minded, living in fear of flying anything which wont bounce, and in danger of never progressing.
The perfect solution would be to buy two models; a foamie to get you started and learn your left from your right and one for light conditions which can catch thermals.
When you do decide on which model choose a good day (about 15mph stiff breeze for a foamie) and get someone to help you trim the model out for its first flight. A good majority of first first models tend to be badly trimmed out, with common mistakes being too much movement on the Ailerons and Elevator and an incorrect C of G.
By getting your model trimmed properly to fly straight you will be able to learn to fly far far quicker then if the model is flying badly.
Finally, when you do buy your first foamie it will probably come out of the box looking like a set of wings and a square brick shaped fus. Get out a knife (and sandpaper) and don't be afraid to do some serious shaping and trimming to the fus so that it looks a bit more aerodynamic. You will find that you can improve the performance of the model and its looks with very little loss in toughness.
Before the indestructible foamie was invented we all used to learn on a basic crunchie rudder-elevator model, and then progress onto something more aerobatic. The advantages with this was that you learned a bit about your planes while building and most importantly also learned how to find thermals, lift and use the slope effectively. However the big disadvantage with this way of learning is that you could only afford one accident and then it was time to go home and get rebuilding.
Now days most people go straight for an aileron foamie indestructible model and learn by having as many mistakes as possible, without having to rebuild anything. A real plus advantage of the "crunchie". However, the disadvantage is that you tend to learn very little about the mechanics of flying and using thermal lift effectively. Also you end up being foamie-minded, living in fear of flying anything which wont bounce, and in danger of never progressing.
The perfect solution would be to buy two models; a foamie to get you started and learn your left from your right and one for light conditions which can catch thermals.
When you do decide on which model choose a good day (about 15mph stiff breeze for a foamie) and get someone to help you trim the model out for its first flight. A good majority of first first models tend to be badly trimmed out, with common mistakes being too much movement on the Ailerons and Elevator and an incorrect C of G.
By getting your model trimmed properly to fly straight you will be able to learn to fly far far quicker then if the model is flying badly.
Finally, when you do buy your first foamie it will probably come out of the box looking like a set of wings and a square brick shaped fus. Get out a knife (and sandpaper) and don't be afraid to do some serious shaping and trimming to the fus so that it looks a bit more aerodynamic. You will find that you can improve the performance of the model and its looks with very little loss in toughness.