I think the most important part of becoming a member is the insurance. I have seen some really strange things happen in the last two or three years I've been involved in this hobby. I've seen people with YEARS of experience have something go wrong with their plane and it either crashed or they had to ditch it in some manner or another. If a .40 size plane flies into the side of a car at half to three-quarter throttle, it WILL do some damage. A giant scale multiplies that damage. I know one thing, I would hate to have to replace the door of a Jaguar because of an accident. I won't even mention possible bodily injuries if it were a person you hit.
Get one - You need it.