Electrics are a good option if you have a problem with finding assistance... You can go up in a stepping stone manner keeping cost of what you damage minimized by starting with cheaper stuff.

Cox/Estes has this "Sky Rangers" series of models... $20 RTF 1 channel models. You can learn some stuff from them. (mainly right-left orientation whenthe plane is pointed at you) Its a cheap airplane that can be entertaining to fly... (I bought one and played with it just to see if they were worth anything at all.)

Then there's the 2 channel rudder and throttle models, generally near $50. More performance... and you can learn some more. and still not be rising an $100 ARF airframe and $70 engine and $100 to $400 radio system...

The problem with those... you can't move the stuff into better airplanes... (you can reuse it in home-made aircraft...)

I have seen a plane made by combining an Air Hogs air motor with a 1 channel radio similar to what comes in the Cox/Estes cheapie... it flew amazingly well. (cheap way to go because... no fuel cost.... just pump up the air chamber for 10 sec to get a 2 min flight.)

The options are endless. That's one of the reasons people stay with the hobby for 10 to 60 (or more... in a few cases...) years sometimes.