ORIGINAL: Charlie P.
To all the self-taught out there: I salute you. However, statistically, you must know you succeeded against the odds.
I agree 100% the odds are greater that you will fail on your own. in my experience with the fails I've seen are, guys want to fly the P-51's & Spitfires or the EDF F-16s and they have no stick time. I tried to help a few guys out at a school yard one time, they had a foamy EDF. they had talked to me the week before about getting a plane. this was before I was flying AMA and in a club. I recommended the Hobbyzone SuperCub, telling them it was the plane I had learned on and it was pretty forgiving. but they thought if they could just get the "jet" up in the air they would be able to figure it out. I walked over and asked them "how it was going" and if they needed any help. they said they had it under control and proceeded to roll inverted just after take off and scatter the foamy at full throttle across the field. they packed up and I never saw them again.
aside from choosing the right plane for the job, the biggest thing I try and explain is finesse of the controls and throttle management. get the biggest slowest plane you can afford and climb as high as you can and slow it down and get a feel for how it responds.then start practicing lining up with your runway at altitude and slowly bleed off the altitude until the plane is back on the ground. if you get to this point you have a chance, if you can't, then get an instructor.
EDIT: this thread had me reading when I first started, and Charlie P you were there giving me the same advice you still give now. and yes I was one of those I want a "jet" guys too
but thankfully I didn't go that route.
here's the thread from my learning curve [link=http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_6988377/anchors_7011070/mpage_1/key_/anchor/tm.htm#7011070]the beginning[/link]