A friend of mine with very limited exposure to rc flying just ordered this one:
http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__25780__Hobbyking_Club_Trainer_PNF_EPO_1265mm.html (http://www.hobbyking.com/hobbyking/store/__25780__Hobbyking_Club_Trainer_PNF_EPO_1265mm.html)
Full 4ch control, brushless motor, tricycle gear and nice size. Reviews seem very good so far, only thing that could be an issue is replacement parts as I'm not sure what HK has or is planning to stock.
For ~$115 shipped to your door might be hard to beat if you're a beginner looking for a competent trainer. :)
That's not bad.
You're right though. Parts might be an issue. However, it's not likely that a student is going to need parts.... ::)
I think we made Pinnacle a tidy profit this summer in Apprentice parts. Mostly, nose gear assemblies and motor mounts.
True I think I saw more veteran/experienced pilots crash over the last year (myself included) than students...
So the conclusion is that students are better pilots - at least in my case I didn't need any parts after crashing :)
Well since students usually fly on a buddy box they have the equavalent of a pilot and co-pilot. Although in my case i had 2 airframe failures with wings detaching in flight, and 2 esc/rx failures resulting in total signal loss. On the plus side i was also able to fly and enjoy several models before passing them along to someone else :)