Go to a club, you may be able to fly a club trainer until you can get one or maybe buy a used one cheap.
I looked and there are 7 clubs within 25 miles of you including one right in Chesterfield.
Plug in your zip code here and have a look:
http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx
Here is a link to the Chesterfield club:
http://www.midvarc.com/