I've got a few RC planes that I fly way too rarely. I really need to get out and fly more. I actually haven't been out for the last 2 years, even though I have a field literally in my back yard to fly in. It is a ton of fun.
As stated above, definitely get with a local RC club and talk with a few of those guys. They will help steer you towards a good trainer plane and help you learn to fly it. Some clubs even have a community trainer that they use to help introduce new flyers to the hobby. It's really not all that difficult to learn to fly, but it is just about impossible to teach yourself. I first learned to fly when I was about 13 from my friend's dad who also flew real planes. Personally, I would recommend a .40-sized trainer with 4-channel controls (throttle, elevator, rudder, and ailerons). As it goes, bigger is actually better in terms of ease of flight and stability, but much bigger than a .40 is tough to haul around and depending on the size of your field, it may get a little tight. Plus they start getting more expensive as you go bigger. On the other hand, smaller planes are less stable and more susceptible to the wind. They are just tougher to fly...I say this even though I learned on a 20 sized plane. I now have 2 .40-sized planes, a sail plane, and a very small electric plane. Again, check with the guys at the field and they will tell you what they recommend. It is usually helpful if they are teaching you on a plane they are already familiar with. As for radios, I like Futaba stuff but that is really because that's all I've ever had. If you can swing it, I would definitely buy a 6-channel radio computer radio that can run multiple planes. They really aren't much more expensive than a basic 4-channel radio, but give you alot more flexibility once you outgrow your trainer, or want to start adding planes to your fleet. I would recommend the Futaba 6EXP-FM for $180...I have an earler version of this radio called the 6EXA. I buy most of my stuff on line from Tower Hobbies at
www.towerhobbies.com, but if you can find a local hobby store, that is always good for when you need stuff quickly. My closest hobby store with airplane stuff is a good 45 minutes away, so I only go there when I need something that I'd rather not wait a couple days for.
You can get decent ARF (almost ready to fly) planes these days at a pretty reasonable cost. You can buy one, put the radio gear in it and fly it later that day or the next. Or if you like to build like I do, you can buy a kit, spend a few weeks or more putting it all together, then fly it. It used to be that kits were alot cheaper, but that's not really the case now. By the time you buy the kit and all of the other things you need to finish it, you could have bought a pretty nice ARF without all of the time investment. It hurts less when you crash it, too. On the other hand, if you build a kit, when you ding it up in a crash, you will know how to fix it pretty easily because you know how it went together. With an ARF, it's not as easy...but again...this is where the experience of the guys in the club will come in handy. Most of them will be more than willing to spend hours and hours with you to get you into flying and to keep you flying. It's alot like the guys in VRCC are with motorcycles.
And finally, join the AMA (Academy of Model Aeronautics). The club will likely require it to join their club and to use their field anyways. But besides that, it is a good idea because it provides insurance in case you crash your plane into someone's house, car, or even into a person. And you get a pretty nice magazine too. Here's a link...
http://www.modelaircraft.org.
Have fun with your new hobby...it can be addictive!!! And it it can get expensive...but once you have most of the up-front costs covered with the equipment (which it sounds like you already have), the ongoing costs really aren't that much. Just fuel and your membership fees...unless (until) you crash!
