Did you search the internet and ask the AMA about clubs in your area or even ask at the local airport for someone who knows how to fly a model? The reason is - it is best if you could get dual instruction. A lot of stuff will happen very quickly when you throttle up and your plane could get crunched real quick.

If you're going it alone, have you read and studied the principles of flight? The more knowleldge you have the better off you will be. Knowing before hand what the various control surfaces do and the principles of flight (how to keep it level, how to land, how not to stall etc) will help and you'll have no time to try to figure it out once you're airborne. That won't substitute for hands on practice, but knowledge can help.

As for your question about ailerons, I'd leave them intact. I don't believe they will "complicate" things at all and will probably help you keep the plane level.

How to learn without an instructor - gosh I really don't know - I learned with an instructor. Harry Higley has some books "Getting Airborne" where he discussed that. One of the things I did was build a glider and got up on a small hill and tossed it and practiced keeping it straight and level. Could get about a 5-10 second flight at a time and hit the ground a lot, but it at least allowed me to "practice" between instructor lessons.

You might want to consider when you go, to taxi about a little bit and then advance the throttle slowly keeping it straight and cut the throttle as soon as it breaks ground and settle back to earth keeping it level. That way you can get the feel of the control and hopefully not impact the ground hard.

But best of all I recommend an instructor.

Roodester