What Fastsky said is BASICALLY correct. Many people have learned on electrics though.

I would suggest the following:

1. Go to your local hobby shop and get the name(s) of local flying clubs and who to contact. Also find out where they fly from.

2. Go out to the field a few times, hang around and talk to the people there. Most RC people are more than happy to talk about their hobby. Tell them you are new and are interested in learning how to fly. They will most likely introduce you to an instructor or a club officer that can answer your questions. The majority of clubs teach glo plane flying, however, many are also starting to teach electric.

3. See what the wind conditions are like at the field and ask if the present wind is normal or not. The reason for this is that MOST electric planes, ESPECIALLY the majority of park flyers and trainers, have a lot of difficulty with wind over 5 mph - they actually prefer calm to about 2 - 3 mph. The wind and whether or not the club teaches electric will probably help make your decision for you.

4. If you like the people you are talking to, go to one of their meetings. At the meeting talk to people. I am certain someone there has a USED setup (Plane, transmitter, engine/motor, etc) for sale at probably about 1/2 of what it would cost you to buy it new. It won't be as "pretty" as a new plane, but then you won't feel as bad either when (not IF, but WHEN) you crash it.

5. If you like what you see and hear, then join up. Joining the AMA and joining the club are NORMALLY required to fly at the club's field. The club will provide the instructor at no charge. Just remember that the instructor may not always be available when you are.

6. Check with the club on this. SOME AMA sanctioned clubs offer a special program. The club provides the plane, instructor and equipment for 30 days at no cost to you. The program is designed to get people into RC flying by letting them see what RC flying is like/about before laying out any money. Check with the club - NOT EVERY CLUB OFFERS THIS.

7. DO NOT TRY TO TEACH YOURSELF TO FLY. While many people have taught themselves to fly, it is a steep learning curve and VERY FRUSTRATING (not to mention expensive) without an instructor. Persons teaching them selves to fly NORMALLY have a first flight of under 30 seconds that usually winds up "rekitting" the plane.

8. If you decide this is for you, get a simulator. The sim will not teach you to fly, but it will allow you to practice what you have been taught. FMS is a decent sim AND a FREE D/L. At the other end of the spectrum there is RealFlight G2 (about $200). FWIW - RealFlight is probably the closest you can come to flying an RC plane without actually doing it.

Hope this has been of some help to you.