After reading all the replies to this thread, all I can say is your all correct with pros and cons, (except Paul),
I have enjoyed controline for six years now, after having come back as a retread from the 50's.
I've tried regular R/C and that was fun too, however in my area (40 miles North of Denver), the cost of joining a R/C club and AMA dues were the main reason I stopped. At present the local R/C club has lost its flying site twice in 1 1/2 years. I dont even know where they fly now.
My latest flying evdevor is with Park Flyers, it's affordable, you dont need a special flying site (my street would do except for the trees, no one that I have heard of has ever had a complaint about noise. I believe Electric R/C is the future of model aviation. It's a hoot, but a diffrent hoot than C/L
I have not given up on C/L, my Barnstormer is almost finished and I will continue to have at least one flyable C/L plane avaliable.
However I can say the lack of intrest in this area is due to , lack of flying places, and lack of supplies(I dont wish to spend money making UPS rich). There are five hobby shops within 35 miles of my house and you could not purchase everything you need to build and fly even the most simple C/L set up such as a Twister with a Fox35 and all castor fuel. Based on that fact, why would any young person who has never known the joy of Controline flying ever concider it.