You would be sadly mistaken about electric planes. Between home made foam planes, kits and arfs, there are quite a few electric powered aircraft. And don't be fooled into thinking they are dinky and slow. I have a brushless powered sailplane that does well over 100 mph.
Anyways, joining AMA is generally a "MUST" because no club will allow you to fly at their field without it. And don't forget when you start with glow, you are gonna need field essentials such as, field box, electric starter, glow igniter, small hand tools, fueler, etc. So, startup cost are high but you only buy this stuff once. But no matter what the cost, the rewards are many as in meeting new friends (your new club) and learning new things!!!! I belong to two clubs and the stuff I've learned and people I've met is priceless!!!!

Dave...