I totally learned to fly with out an instructor or a buddy cord. Rather than jumping in full bore with a nitro plane I built a very, very slow flying electric contraption with elevator, throttle, and rudder and flew the crap out of it. I also invested in Aero FLy Pro. The Simulator was my instrustor for the most part. It really helped me as far as getting rid of "dumb thumbs" sydrome.

So, no you do not need a buddy box or an instructor. Looking back on my experience, keep in mind, I have only been flying for one year really, I don't regret not having an instructor. The learning curve was a little steep, but because I fought it myself I have no problems when maidening new aircraft, or helping out other pilots.

By going it alone, I have learned a lot more, a lot faster, and have become one of the guys everybody turns to for help. One thing though, if you are going to do it by yourself, get a simulator. I know the sims seem a lot like video games but it really does make a huge difference.

Here is a picture of my first flying contraption: