I guess I should have been more specific with details.
When the hurricanes aren't blowing, are the winds fairly light in Daytona Beach? Too much wind is the only reason I'd stay away from park flyers.
piper_chuck is absolutely right. We're about 3 miles inland and the winds aren't too bad usually,but it is Florida so we do get the occasional rain shower daily. The only field we have access to at this time is a soccer field on our college campus. We're right next to KDAB if anyone knows the area or the school, and our R/C club is pretty small at this time. I asked him what he wanted to start with and we both agreed on electric b/c of the space limitations as well as simplicity and relative cost. Because of our proximity to the airport and other things electric is probably better than gas for us right now (noise, exhaust, fuel cost, storage.......) and our resources are extremely limited (see $). So for right now it's going to probably be electric.
I suspect what you are hinting at is buying electrics and flying in places like school yards and abandoned lots allows people to bypass AMA. This is mostly due to the fact that electrics are smaller. One could do the same thing with 1/2A size planes. While this might seem to save money in the short run, it also causes people to miss out on some important parts of the hobby such as learning from people with experience. It also puts people, and the hobby, at risk because even little electrics can cause injuries.
Whether someone begins with electrics or nitro doesn't matter. However, it is important that they learn the right (safe) way to fly, and for this joining AMA and seeking assistance from an instructor is way more safe than flying alone in the local school yard.
Just because we can only fly in such a limited space @ this time doesn't mean there won't be experienced people willing to teach him how to fly. As an AMA member who HAS flown mostly at sanctioned fields and with clubs I understand the value of it, and we're not trying to bypass them at all. I'm actually going to bring up the idea of joining to him, just incase anything were to happen. Also as an R/C pilot with a few years experience, I've seen what can happen when people just try to teach themselves and don't seek instruction, so that is not an issue.
So without going on too much more,
We're not just a group of kids who bought a $40 plane from Kmart and call ourselves R/C pilots and fly alone in some field or on the beach and think the AMA is some medical group.