You don't have to be a member of either the local club or the AMA to hang-out at the airfield or talk to the members. You'll probably find out, like I did, that they are a good bunch of guys and end up joining both the club and the AMA. You most likely will need a club membership as well as an AMA membership to fly at their field.

Most every club I have ever encountered have folks that volunteer their time as instructors. They can help you with the selection of your plane and equipment. I started out thinking I wanted to go electric, then switched to nitro once I began to learn more about the two.

Hobby shops fall into two general categories, the ones that want to help the hobbists and the ones that want to help themselves to your wallet. Most of the national chain type shops, I've found, fall into the latter category. It's typically the one-off shops that have folks that can really assist you in your endeavors (plane/equipment selection, club recomendations, etc.).

Good luck and happy flying.