My very first speed-build kit (or any kit for that matter) was the Dr.1 / Se5 kit with an "F" pack.
Spent a lot of time building them and finishing them (before the maiden) and was pretty proud of them... then this;
Actually the Se.5 didn't do too bad, but that minor crash ripped the wings apart and needed some major repairs.
The Dr.1 was a completely different story... Some of this is due to poor building skills (well, not that I didn't have skill, I really didn't appreciate how CG sensitive the Dr.1 is... I could have done better (and will someday, but I've built two of the damn things and only had a couple flights in them.) they really don't handle crashes well...
Before I trimmed it out a little bit (defiantly tail heavy)
and after;
So, I'm not saying you won't have better results, I'm saying you'll have a LOT more fun if you start with some of the tamer designs first...
That was my first attempt of flying RC and while it's not terrible, it was a LOT of work for probably under a minute of flight time (both planes needed repair work, and I didn't even come close to using a full battery.) I should mention that I too have 1:1 time logged.
After this I built a mini simple scout, it was fast and small, and I frequently lost orientation (it's life was pretty short.)
Then I tried the FT Flyer and started burning batteries (and having fun!)
(About half way through you see my "Eureka" moment where I realized flyers flew MUCH better at HALF throttle!!)
No, the flyer doesn't look like an "airplane" (well, maybe a paper one) but it's one sheet of foamboard (literally $1). So when you crash it no big deal. now that I've tried the tiny trainer, I like it a tad more. It has a true airfoil so it behaves much better. but either (i think) is a great place to start because it will get you some stick time and successful flights... I admit, I was pretty let down after the maiden of the biplanes... but, I stuck with it and you will too!