For now pattern flying is something that I aspire to. I'm trying to learn sportsman and intermediate level aerobatics to improve my skills and increase the variety of manuevers that I can comfortably do.

http://www.nsrca.org/scheduleA.htm

If I think I'm getting pretty good at it and I can trim my planes well enough without turning a hobby into a chore, I might consider competing at some point in the future.

http://www.nsrca.org/trimA.htm

If you read the trim chart at the above link, you'll get an idea of what I mean. It makes my head want to explode just reading through that whole thing.

In any event, a good entry level pattern ARF like the GP Venus .40 or the Phoenix Seabee is wildly fun to fly and a good "third" airplane. Even if I never compete in pattern, having planes like these are a hoot out at the field.

My club hosts the Omaha Pattern Championship every year, and we have several good pattern flyers. Several of them have 2M competition planes, YS 140 engines, Futaba 14MZs, and the like. I'm going to have to really, really love pattern competition to drop that kind of money.

For now, I'm just having fun learning the various manuevers and trying to fly round loops instead of ovals.