[pianodude]

This is not a thread about how one is better/worse than the other, but how i feel differently about them. i put my Tower Hobbies Kaos into a spin yesterday(as i have done hundreds of times before) and it just didn't come out. it crashed, but the damage is quite minor and very fixable, but i just can't be bothered to fix it. if it was a plane that i built i would have fixed it last night and be flying it again today. i didn't even feel slightly bad when it crashed as i have no emotional attachment to it. whereas when i crash something i have crafted(kit or scratch build), i get that sick feeling in the pit of my stomach, if only for a little while, but i repair it and go again. this is the second Arf i have crashed this year and will give away because i just have no "sweat equity" in them.. off to the field now, cheers. john

[Tyler P]

I have to agree that I have less attachment to my 50cc EG Slick than I do to my 100cc Carden Yak that I build from a kit. I definitely chuck the Slick around with abandon compared to my Yak, although I did try to get the Yak's tail in the weeds last time I had it out, lol.

When you spend a year and half building something (yes, it should've been done within 4 or 5 months, lol) you definitely feel a bit more responsibility towards it and probably don't do things quite as aggressively as you might with an ARF.

That being said, I think everyone should have a plane that they can literally 'fly the wings off of' without feeling guilty or nervous. That's the best way to push your limits and improve as a pilot. If you're afraid to do something with a plane for fear of damaging it you'll never get into that comfort zone of learning new things! ARFs are those planes!

[mrrandyman]

diddo Thats my feeling too. I am building but bought a couple arfs so I could get into the air and get flying again.

[JimMcIntyre]

Thrill co-relates to perceived risk/investment.

ARF := merry go-round
Build := Roller Coaster

I have no qualms entering my Kyosho Pitts ARF in a funfly participating in risky ventures such as limbo, I would never consider using my Ultimate even though it is ultimately (pun intended) more capable.

[JohnM]

John: for my 2 cents - there is no better feeling in this hobby than witnessing a first successful flight of your plane which has been built from a kit or scratch built. Watching your ARF have a successful first flight is almost a given. Not quite the same level of satisfaction. . . your "sweat equity" term is a good choice of words. . . Cheers

[DO335]

You guys are just too attached to a chunk of wood, hardware and covering.

I have no interest in BARFs. I build.

Every time I take off, I realize that a crash and total destruction are possible. If I concerned myself with that, I would not be concentrating on the flying. And I'd never take off. So if it happens, on to the next project.

Emotion? Yes - I get excited and thrilled to be moving on to something else.

If you can't be detached, it owns you.

[dean2287]

I honestly get the same flying enjoyment out of my ARFs as I do my builds, so long as they're flying well. I'm certainly more proud of my builds, and had a lot more fun building them. I do find a lot of inconsistancy in the quality of ARFs, and some of them just don't turn out to be good flyers. My best flying airplanes right now: 1 ARF and 1 full build.

[Guest]

Lets face it..Without ARFs. The hobby wouldnt be near as popular now as it is. And its becouse of its popularity that the prices are as low as they are, with all the compotition.

I only fly ARFs and I love each one. Making a small mod here and there to improve it, no skin off my back. I just dont have the time to build a kit.

[AJCoholic]

I started "old school", when I was 7 yrs old - learned to build by building tons of stick and tissue FF kits, then several CL models and also started scratch building (by necessity, ie, it was much cheaper) in my early teens. SO, I have built a few kits/scratch as well as about a dozen of my own design airframes.

Then, I also started getting into the ARF game... bought a few, got several from the mag for testing, etc. They ARE a completely different animal. An ARF (even expensive ones) does offer zero emotional attatchment for me, and although I take crashing very well (meaning I dont let it get to me) I certainly dislike crashing a model I have spent several dozens of hours or more working on, VS a model I put together in a few evenings.

However, lately I have been missing the fun, and satisfaction from building. I think I am done with ARFS for now, and will try hard and get back into building kits, even though time IS tight... but I want my son to learn what modeling (well at least to me) is about in it's entirety, not just the flying aspect.

But I can agree with the OP... I have crashed an ARF that has been repairable, but decided not to. Usually gave it to someone else who needed a plane who fixed it and kept flying. I couldnt be bothered. However I have repaired and rebuilt kit built models several times.

AJC

[AJCoholic]

Originally Posted by vettster

...And its becouse of its popularity that the prices are as low as they are,...

I think prices are what they are now, because our dollar has been on par with the US for a few years now, and we don't have to pay a buck sixty five for one American dollar... like 10 yrs back.

In terms of "popularity", I don't know... I see a lot of guys now get into and out of the hobby due to it being easy, both ways. Little invested into it, easy to quit and move onto something else.

Many clubs I'm familiar with have had similar membership 10, 15 yrs ago as today... so, where are all the extra people that got into the hobby due to ARF's?

I still think we are lucky to have such a varied selection of what we can buy. However, I do think some of the old skills, which were learned out of necessity in the past, are now lacking. Then again, that may be the "old man" in me starting to show.

AJC