If a person as some knowledge about aerodynamics and better yet, a pilot to start with, you have a good chance of flying successfully on your first flight.
NVFlyer,
Do a search for a thread titled "he flys the big ones" Makes for interesting reading. Being a FS pilot really doesn't matter that much because of the prespective of R/C (i.e. you're not in it).
Instructor = safest and cheapest way to learn though not the ONLY way
