The deck is stacked against you, but not impossible of course.

Learning to fly and get the correct muscle memory in your thumbs and/or fingers is one thing. Learning about your model and how to adjust the CG and do preflight checks can be a longer learning curve if you just try and figure it out on your own.

Having a club and an instructor will not only help you learn to fly with the greatest possibility of bringing your model home in one piece, but also will help explain all of the things that you need to know other than how to fly the model.

I was in your shoes about 15 years ago and tried to do it all by myself. I even read a lot online (far less info online in our hobby 15 years ago compared to today) and thought I had it all down. I ended up with a demolished airplane and quickly got out of the hobby. Wasted about 500 bucks in the process!

About three years ago I decided to give it another try. This time I first joined a club and went and watched people fly for probably the first 3 visits. I then brought my plane and was buddy boxed only 2 times before I solo'd and I havent looked back since.

I now own about 16 or 17 airplanes and 10 helis...also a couple of boats and land vehicles. All of which I can confidently fly/operate.

I may not be the best pilot in our club...but I am a decent one and without joining the club...I probably would have thrown away another 5-600 bucks and been out of the hobby as soon as I tried to start back.

If you go it alone...just be sure to get really proficient at flying the SIM first. A SIM wasnt something that I was able to afford way back when I first tried. I MIGHT have been able to do it this time without the club and my SIM...but both made it a very short affair on the buddy box and being able to solo fly for the first time was a great feeling of accomplishment. Also, read your manual for the airplane and take in as much as you can about CG(Center of Gravity) and control throws and try and understand them at their basic level. Set up your airplane as closely as you can to the manual and hope for the best. You see, not all manuals are created equal, and you can THINK you have everything right and take to the air only to find the airplane is nearly unflyable. This is whyi said that the learning curve about preflight and setup is a long one if you have to go it by trial and error.

goodluck to you and your son. Its a great hobby!