after a lay off of 20 years and after the horrors of being self taught when I was 15 took forever to solo.so I went out and got a NEXTAR and went over to the local club, the guys were most helpful checking out and trimming the model for me. the main problem with the self taught method in my opinion is trimming. the knowledge more expierenced pilots have can make or break your ability to fly I had flown before so after 5 flights I soloed again. now after gaining some expierience myself I still ask for help with a new plane, it never hurts to ask for help,there is so many things to overlook when you dont know what to look for. check to see if a generous person in your area would drive to your location to help you with your plane he/she might find that you have a better place to fly than they were using. the radio check is vital and many details a noob would overlook because lack of expierence. you need 2 people to radio check a plane if it don't pass you might fly your new plane away, 10 to 15 min of flight time goes along way from you when you dont have a car to chase it down with . and AMA insurance is vital if you loose control and were to hit somone or somthing you dont even want to think about that, the things to think about when you are going to learn to fly by your self either way good luck its a great hobby