Sounds like you got the right approach. I would also reccomend getting an RC flight simulator. The "state of the art" right now is Real Flight G5, but you also need a state of the art PC to run it well. There are also some basic simulators you can down load cheap or even free such as Phoenix.
 
As to finding a club or instructor, if you look near the top right side of your page, there is a gold link for finding other RCU members. There is also a link in blue at the top of the page for "Community". It brings up a drop down menu with links for finding clubs and/or instructors. You can use these links to find clubs, instructors,  and/or other RCU members that might be close to you, then just P.M. them from the link under their Avatar or from their profile page. If you need help using the links just post here again and one of us will help you search.