Here is my thoughts on this ..i fly both gas and electric my gas are ergo 46 venture 30 cp upgraded to 50
i have blade cx, df 4 and df 60 i love them all and yes there is large expense on the gas birds remember fuel is high $ 19.00 a gallon or more and i can go through a gallon or more a day
(1) get a Sim this is a must and i recommend it every one ...why ? simple you can crash over and over and it cost you nothing
(2) start slow buy a blade cx or some other coax-el type Heli. learn with it after a month or 2 move up to the next level and so on as you move up you can sell your old Heli for almost the price you paid for it
also the X type Heli's are made for the beginner and the cost is CHEEP !
i hope this helps