Hi andy welcome to the forum. Youll find the knowledge on here invaluable . Sounds like you're on the right track already , just dont be afraid to ask anything . As a former apprentice paint sprayer myself ( albeit 35 years ago , abbey garage , bottom of twentywell lane!) i reckon youll be able to master the airbrush no probs, its basically the same principles - air first then slowly feed in the paint , its a two stage trigger just like a spraygun, you can even get an AB with a handle and trigger if you like. As for the equipment , maybe a quieter compressor would be nice but once its charged the tank it shuts off so the noise is only once in a while. The cheap chinese airbrushes are perfectly usable ( its all ive ever used) so give them a good go first before splashing out hundreds of pounds. So you're in Gleadless , im just up the hill in Frecheville, come on the south yorks massive!!! Cheers tony