Merc60, if you've never flown R/C before, you're in luck as it has never been cheaper to learn how with the electric planes out there now. I'd buy a decent 4 ch electric high wing trainer and a decent 6 or 8 channel Spektrum hopper radio, and then just head out to your closest field and ask for an instructor. For less than 4 or 5 hundred you can have an excellent beginners set up to learn with. Even getting into gas/other fuel powered stuff isn't nearly as bad as it was when I first tried my had at it back in the early 90's, at least 2x cheaper now IMO. Also, if you've got some guys and xtra $ you can be self taught to a certain extent, get a 3 channel electric "throw away" type trainer and just go out and fly it. If you can fly AH decently, you should pick it up fairly quickly, and the planes are tough to kill beyond repair. You'll eventually want some instruction though, I sure did.
As far as getting into large scale or jet stuff...hah...the one guy I know with a scale jet fighter could buy my car with what he's got into everything.
edit: Condor, that P51 is a beauty, you should build a nice 109 at that scale
. Nice landing too, very good video.