Seriously, build and fly the Tiny Trainer. You won't be sorry that you did.
I totally agree with that. The TT can take you all the way from free flight to 4 channel within a few weeks.
It's best to start with a plane that you know can fly by itself or at least manage a short glide without lawn darting and that is what the Tiny trainer does.
The glider nose included in the kit will help you figure out hand launching without breaking props by the dozen.
Hand launching has multiple advantages over taking off from the ground:
The state of your runway makes no difference, in fact, the taller the grass is the less damage your plane will take from less than perfect landings.
You start out with airspeed and air going over the control surfaces which will give you effective controls from the beginning. Have the motor running at half throttle or a little more before launching and most of the torque of running the prop up will be eliminated by whoever is throwing it.
Have someone else hand launch you for the first few times. that will lessen your work load and help you concentrate on not crashing.
Edited: Because I couldn't leave one of my posts unedited, that would be breaking character. Also, once I've seen a typo I can't unsee it, even after I've closed the page.