Not at all, IMHO. I learned about cars and airplanes by taking working models apart, not by trying to build one de novo.
Not that I hadn't at one time planned to build a monoplane version of a Chanute-like glider of my own design. The prospect of me doing something like that was enough to convince my wife that we could "afford" flying lessons.
When you are completely new to something, I believe the best way to learn is to study something that works, rather than things that don't work.
John