I think jetstarblue hit it exactly right with this statement.

Some things to keep in mind:

1. For most folks, it is *much* easier to fly in windy conditions when the wind is right up or down the runway. If you fly at a field where you absolutely have to take off and land parallel to the runway, then you might want to sit out when the wind is across the runway. Otherwise, as jetstarblue said, just make sure you take off and land into the wind (make sure you tell other pilots what you're doing!).

2. Be careful about airspeed. IMHO, the biggest causes of crashes in the wind is the pilot thinks the airspeed is higher than it is, stalls, and loses control of the plane. When you are flying with the wind, the speed of the plane in relation to the ground will be really high, but the air speed of the plane may not. This is where your comfort level comes in. Suppose you are comfortable flying 40 mph in calm air (trainer speed), but you're in a 20 mph wind. Up wind, you'll be going 20 mph relative to the ground, which will be fine, but downwind, you should be going 60 mph, which may be more than you're comfortable with. If you slow down to 40 mph ground speed, your plane will only have 20 mph air speed, and while it will probably fly, it will react to the controls much differently than when its airspeed is 40mph.

3. In the same vein, think about the wind in case you dead stick. In most cases, you'll want to spend most of your time up wind. If you dead stick when your plane is a long way downwind, you may not be able to bring it back to a safe place to land.

I know it may all be a lot for a new pilot to absorb, but there is a good article on wind in the January issue of Model Aviation (the AMA magazine).