akschu,
I grew up in Missouri so I know exactly what you are talking about. What kind of flying or plane are you interested in building?? There are a good many kits that are good for a first time builder. Sig 4-star, Goldberg Tiger II, Balsa USA Thunderbug, Sig Hog Bipe (if you're interested in a biplane this is a great one), Sig Something Extra (if you want a plane that is a total blast to fly). Just depends on what you want to fly.

I like to say that the Sig Something Extra kit is a "building trainer" kit. It's such a joy to build that I highly recommend this to anybody that wants to get started in building. I like to joke about this kit saying to build it you open the box, throw in a bottle of glue, shake, and remove the finished plane. It does go together really fast. The last one I build I had framed up in a weekend. Very high quality all laser cut parts, clear concise plans, and an instruction manual that is almost a work of art. And to top it all off when you finish the kit you have a plane that is an absolute blast to fly. The only problem with my SSE is that it gets covered in oil on every surface of the plane and takes awhile to clean when you're done flying. This plane rolls so fast that the exhaust oil coats the whole plane when your flying, but it's well worth it because this is so fun to fly.

Hope this helps

Ken