Actually its not that pricey anymore.
You can get a good basic transmitter and pre-assembled plane with LiPo battery, charger all set up for under US$300. (I think really entry level stuff for under 150 can be had, brand new of course) You do need someone who knows these things to make sure all the parts work together though.
After the initial beginner's crashes, you can fly a plane for a really long time and just enjoy its graceful movements, if you're not into hard-core mods and improvements. Yes, you can spend thousands of dollars to get more speed, finer controls etc, but just like any other hobby gets expensive when you really go deep. (22" telescope with permanent stand, custom observatory roof, tracking motors etc etc)
Check out this website
www.hobbycity.com for a cheap way to enter RC flying.
Warning: Bad flying days are also usually cloudy days..... but flying tends to be done while the sun is still in the sky
