A very enjoyable read - welcome to the forums! I've never flown a plane in real life (but I will achieve that goal and get at least one of those ultra light planes or a gyrocopter) and so I am always happy to hear from people with experience that the game I love so much is very much like the real deal
There should be an audible indication before you start to stall. Anton stated that in another post and according to him the absence of the same is a glitch that will be fixed.