Yup, that's like a 4th, MAYBE 3rd plane. I had a Phoenix Dolphin - $99 from Tower - for my second plane. It was a lot of fun to fly and really prepared me for getting into something more aerobatic. And like they said above, it took a BEATING! You will do things to your second plane that could get you arrested in some states. Stick with something cheap and easy, and this is the time to really learn how to fly. Once you're a 'pro' with the second plane, you will appreciate something like that Extra a bunch more. I flew some other planes at my field while I was still *really learning to fly with the Dolphin. I probably could have gotten used to them, but they seemed like a big handful, and it's SO much more fun to get a plane that you LOVE to FLY right off the bat, rather than growing into something.

My 3rd plane is a Venus II. Like I said I was flying the Dolphin, performing all kinds of aerobatics. When I stepped into the Venus, I was able to really understand the difference between a sport plane and a true aerobatic plane, and BOY what a difference! My '4th' plane is a 25% Yak that's still in a box, similar to the Extra you're looking at, and I'm still working on being ready for that plane.

People like to give me a hard time since I'm still pretty new at this, but I've been through quite a few planes this year and had some real disappointments and some really great triumphs.

And yes, the cost. Servos for that plane are $30-$100 each. Engine is $300+. You will burn AT LEAST a half-gallon of fuel a day with that big engine. You'll need a bigger starter, bigger starter battery, bigger and more expensive props (getting close to $20/ea), etc. Getting a less expensive plane first will get you a lot of much less expensive flying time, and right now it's all about stick time.