I can appreciate him wanting to learn to fly by himself, and I'm sure someone will recommend a decent park flyer in his price range - I couldn't tell you which is best to learn on. I CAN tell you that it is NOT the Aerobird Swift.

I would advise him not to dismiss the idea of going to a flying field too quickly, simply due to the social aspects of hanging out with the old timers at the field. While it would be fun to be able to fly right out your back door, it is also fun to hang around the field and listen to a bunch of old guys complain and tease each other. Oh yeah, they also give you great advice when you need it.

Good luck to him