I'd definitely get some SIM time. That 450 might be a little intimidating starting out, because of its size. When that brushless motor spins up and those blades get to choppin', your nerves will be set on edge. Haha!
I started out on smaller 4 ch heli's, then stepped up to a Blade Nano CPX, which is a very small, but super durable CP heli. Once I got confident in basic flying, I picked up a used Blade 300X off eBay. Man, that was a huge step up. The increase in power was exponential. I flew around a small field for only a few minutes before crashing and braking the stock blades, which was a luckily small amount of damage. The next time I got out with it was
on a windy day, in April. I was mostly just fighting the wind, which was exhilarating, but also diminished my concentration. By the time I got halfway through my 2nd battery, my brain was telling me it was time to land, but I wanted to get some close-up video, so I brought it in closer, while nose-in hovering, and I don't know if it was operator-error, or a known servo glitch, but that thing tilted in the wrong direction and smacked into the ground, breaking about $40 - $50 worth of parts. It was only from about a 6 foot drop, too. The damage would've been more if it'd been on high rates. I only tried high rates (for 3D flying) for a minute or two, because that is even more intense for a beginner, but it did help with fighting the wind. Haha!
After the crash, I put the 300X up in the attic, where it still sets, but hopefully not for much longer. I've decided to sell it, as I'm not going to pursue heli flying. I don't like how one crash can be so costly. I found that, for myself, flying heli's is neither therapeutic nor relaxing. It demands full concentration. You cannot take your eye off of it, even for a moment. One bad move can put your heli out of commission. Don't get me wrong! As I said earlier, it's exhilarating, but takes consistent practice.
I am keeping my Spektrum DX8, though, and in the near future plan to build a 250 sport quadcopter, which is a little easier to fly, and easier on the wallet to maintain. Flying is still fun, and I'll not likely walk away from it. I have a Blade Nano QX micro quad for occasional indoor flying (which is pleasant during the long, dark winter period).
, I shelved it for a while. THEN I picked up a little Chinese hexacopter for less than $20, (lipo, 6 axis gyro, flips, even headless mode) and it's a blast to fly, yep, I said fly! I've gotten more time in the air with it than the sim, it's practically indestructible and EASY to fly with little experience. I still have a LONG way to get to inverted, but at least I'm gettin' air-time now. 
