heres a couple suggestions/im brand new to helis. the video i posted shows the Blade CX can be flown by a total novice. i do have Realflight G3 and did practice with it a while back before the purchase of my BCX and think it had a lot to do with the success of my flights so far. i was comfortable enough to take off traing gear rather early and this may very depending on indavidual learnig curves and comfort levels. i would suggest training gear to anyone else who is flying a heli for the first time as being mandatory for success with out damage to the heli and the gear is $10.00. a full set of blades can be bought for under $10.00 and the back up parts are fairly inexpensive for this heli as well. besides training gear i only bought an extra lipo. take your time learn at your own pace and comfort level. if possable have someone who flys helis help with your first flight and make sure heli is trimmed and flying well before your first flight if possable. good luck and have fun