G3 is GREAT to work with.
And going Nitro is not really all that expensive. I know a lot of guys who have dumped more into their micro electrics than would have taken to get started with Nitro. Now crash repair costs - Nitro is expensive to repair when you ditch the heli compared tothe micro electrics.
Do go to the club field and talk to the members there. Call their officers and ask if they have periodic club meetings. Typically there are more members at the monthly meeting than there is at the field on any particular day.