Dunno if I just got lucky, but my first one (Cessna 172 ARF from Hobby Lobby) jumped right off the ground and flew like a dream with some trim work without an instructor. I suppose it was just dumb luck. I had that one for a year until I sold it to a friend. No crashes, just careful flight in an open area. I never flew it when wind was more than a light breeze though. It's probably so stable that it'd be almost hard to crash without doing something REALLY stupid though. I did get some practice at Hobby Haven with their little simulator, but the sim was actually tougher to fly than the real thing.
I'd like another fixed-wing, but I got into the electric Heli's. They're great to fly around in the house, and WAY cheaper for parts. Main inner shaft for a Blade CX-2 is like 5-6 bucks.