I've been in to RC flying for about 2 years. Before I even thought of buying, or flying an RC plane, I bought the Phoenix Simulator that came with the DX5. I flew the Apprentice for about 6 months, and pretty much mastered it before I bought one. When I did, it was no problem for me to fly it. I've not had a crash yet thanks to Phoenix. It can get real expensive if you crash, so I recommend learning on the simulator until you're confident. I'm now in Afghanistan, and I fly on Phoenix a couple hours a day on my down time. Good luck.