All that follows is my opinion only, and not meant to offend anyone.

Now that the disclaimer is out of the way, for me the best part of this hobby (addiction) is being at the field talking to the other guys in the club. I was out there last Saturday. No one else was there! I still flew my trainer, but missed the conversation. The usual OS-Super Tigre ribbing, etc. Also, when my prop nut loosened, I learned the hard way that I forgot to put the right tool in my box to remove the spinner. If one of the more experienced guys were there, I could have borrowed the tool and been flying more. Some of the guys have field boxes that need wheels on the bottom, they are so heavy!

I am going to get a park flyer one of these days. Mainly for times when I only have an hour to fly. The club field is 30 mins away. A city park is 2 mins away. If I had a park flyer, I could be flying those "short" days.

Don't knock joining a club until you visit all the clubs in your area. Here there are 2 clubs within driving distance. One is a private club with their own field. They are mostly pattern fliers with large, expensive planes. And you need an invitation to come out to the field. I still wonder how they get new members? The other one is a private club that flys at a city park just for hobbies. You do not have to be a club member to fly there, as it is a city park. But I did not think twice about joining that club.

Like I said, this is my opinion. I do not have ill feelings about pattern fliers or expensive planes. I just gravitated towards where I fit in better. But the club atmosphere is definitely for me!