You can learn to fly pattern with a smaller electric plane for sure. Either the hotpoint or the Supervision would work, so would the horizon Brio. You could also check out the Hyperion planes (3dhobbyshop.com) look at this thread as well http://www.rcuniverse.com/forum/m_7174074/tm.htm. If you are looking to fly in a contest sometime in the future then you will want to have something a little larger and more powerful which can easily handle a bit of wind. Planes like the Horizon Hobbies Diamante 25 would work. Kyosho has some as well. Those tend to be pricier than your indicated range however. You might look for someone at one of the local clubs (SVF is nearby Glendale) that has something for sale. Post a want ad at the field and you'll be surprised at the choices available. That way you get in the air quick and for less overall cost. If you want to run glow then there are a lot of choices.