Mr Lock ... if you are really certain that its not gonna hit anyone then go with a SIM first BUT the sim and real thing is not the same. It helps on the orientation etc but its not the same at all. Other thing you cannot really learn on your own is SET UP, TUNING AN ENGINE etc. What you need to watch out for is also, CONTROL SURFACE THROWS and CG. Maybe if you want to just try out on your own then something like a Multiplex Easystar would be more forgiving. You can learn to set it up over the net, no engine to tune. Think about it. All the best!