The question I am asking is what sort of problems have other beginners had when first learning to fly? What can and does go wrong when your first learning to fly?
In addition to what's been said, flying the airplane is only a small part of the learning process. For most newbies at our club, the first hurdle is assembling the plane so that it is flight-worthy. The next big hurdle is getting the glow engine to start and run reliably, and doing so in a safe manner. The third part is understanding everything it takes to fly safely. None of these can be learned on a sim. Most people (me anyway) learn things one at a time, so it's really nice to have an experienced person take care of all these things while you concentrate on learning to fly.
The advice about not going it alone applies to the typical .40 size glow-powered trainer made out of wood, because they are relatively fragile. If you have to go it alone, I would recommend either a park flyer, or an indestructable plane like the U.S. Aircore or the spad.org Debonair.
On a related subject, I was quite impressed to see that Hangar 9 is addressing the engine learning curve. According to their advertisements, they are now selling engines that are already broken in, with limits on the needle valve, and other features to make them easy for newbies to run and keep running. Yea Hangar 9!