Welcome to RCU.

A couple of replies said, "Find the local club and talk to the members and instructors."

You may be thinking, "Great idea! How do I find them?"

The AMA is an organization that charters clubs and provides benefits such as liability insurance to its members. The AMA web site has a club finder
http://www.modelaircraft.org/clubsearch.aspx
Enter your zip code and you can see what is in your area. It might also be useful to you to find places to fly in other cities.