You need not apply your first, second, third or fourth paint job to your RC planes.

One of the helpfull tips in the Higley book is to take empty cereal boxes and paint on a primer coat, then you have a good base to practice painting on. You get better with each box, you get to practice new techniques, you can tell if a paint is going to be compatible with your primer or clear coat if you use one. Also you can put the box in your car and let it sit in the sun and see how the colors handle the sun. "You don't want to paint a plane red then have it fade to pink by the end of the flying season.

Wile it's true that paint is expensive, it's cheaper than learning on models. You only need to look at the cost as paying for education.