Brokenspoke- In 5 years of being in the hob I have seen the statement "I can afford a plane but I can't afford a club too" many times. I've learned to think of the hobby as an activity, not an item that I enjoy. When you figure free training and a network of guys you can learn from, along with a purpose built runway and a protected area to fly in, the club becomes a money saving investment once you move into more serious airplanes. I figure my $160 a year investment in club and AMA dues pays for itself if it saves me at least 10 hours of repair time or the total loss of a single balsa airframe. You mentioned aerobatics as part of your plans. You might be surprised how easy real glow powered airframes can be to come by when you're a new guy in the club. A glow powered trainer or sport model with a gentle set up will prepare you much better for more serious aerobatic planes than a super cub or radian will.