Hi Newbie
I understand your frustration. Two years ago, when I first started on FMS, I had the same problem. For all the nice work the brothers Moeller have done with FMS, they seem to have forgotten to include in their starter package a decent trainer model. (WINK, WINK...)
A quick and easy solution is to go to the FMS homepage and click on the link on the right that reads 'models' (or see the whole page without the left side menu at http://n.ethz.ch/~mmoeller/fms/models.html) and then download the 'SilkyWind 400', 'Supercup' and 'Slowfly'. They are still FMS 2.7 models and lack a bit of the realism of the newer 2.8 version, but each of them is a nice model to start with. My favorite is the SilkyWind.
(The Transal twin transporter that came with the fms package is a nice flyer too, only that it has no ailerons, so you have to fly it with engine, elevator and rudder only. If you use a two-axis joystick, be sure to go to the channel setup and set channel 1 of your joystick to rudder instead of aileron.)
If you want some more models, trainer or more advanced, go to the 'model' section of this forum and look through the announcements if anyone made a nice trainer recently. then follow the links to their page and download them. Don't be afraid to download 25 planes at once. In FMS you can never have enough planes.
And, while you're at it, also visit the 'airfield' section and download some more flying grounds.
'Niklas