Beginners typically have just two problems. The left-right thing, and flairing for landing. If you have to learn more or less on your own, get a cheap RC car and learn to drive it around with precision. To learn how to flair, it really helps if you know how to fly control line. Then putting to two together is not too difficult.

The first time out with my RC airplane, I had a guy take off and trim the airplane. I flew it around and then landed. Five years of control line. On the second flight, I took off and flew it around, but he landed it. Then the third flight was solo, and that was the last instruction ever.

Sound good so far, but there was a lot to learn the hard way. The biggest problem was the lack of depth perception, so I hit a brick wall of a school, a set of telephone lines, and a fence. Learned to stand closer to the touchdown point.

Now you have computer sims, buddy boxes and a great likelyhood of joinng an RC club. I had none of that because I lived in the middle of nowhere. Back then RC was very expensive - my first radio cost around $350 which in todays dollars would be close to $2000. Plus it took several months to build the airplane and cover it with silk and dope. I was just 16 then, how many HS kids could do it today? Don't worry about crashing. I've crashed every airplane I have ever built. It's natures way of letting you buy new stuff.