[michaely]

Originally Posted by WilliamC

I'm very new here so forgive this question.

How much life do you get out of a foamie and roughly total cost for a complete beginner? I've seen foam kits for the body ranging about $25, but what about the rest of it such as the engine or other components.

Good for a complete beginner or seek out RTF beginner plane?

- William

Welcome also.

As Gary said, without supplying more information about your situation - experience with rc, learning to fly on own or with a club, budget issues, etc. - it's hard for answers to be on target.

Also check and perhaps post in the beginners/newbie category on this (and other) forum; your query is kinda buried in this thread.

good luck,

[Alberta4U]

Balsa planes do look and fly better than foamies but they cost much more than a BNF foamie. And if you crash one you will not be able to glue it back together. I fly the E-flite T28 with 78 inch wingspan. Looks and handles great

[Trumpetman]

Originally Posted by Alberta4U

Balsa planes do look and fly better than foamies but they cost much more than a BNF foamie. And if you crash one you will not be able to glue it back together. I fly the E-flite T28 with 78 inch wingspan. Looks and handles great

Actually, if you crash a balsa plane you will be able to glue it back together but you will need to learn how to cover...

[OLD PRAIRIE RED NECK]

Originally Posted by Alberta4U

Balsa planes do look and fly better than foamies but they cost much more than a BNF foamie. And if you crash one you will not be able to glue it back together.

If you didn't build it then this statement is true. You will have no idea where to start!

Originally Posted by Trumpetman

Actually, if you crash a balsa plane you will be able to glue it back together but you will need to learn how to cover...

Gordon and I have been building balsa planes for ions and when we have a woops it has to be pretty major to keep us from flying it again the next day. My present flying buddy has rebuilt his pretty much totaled balsa and ply LT40 five times now and it is ready to go again!

Some of us just look at it as a chance to change the color scheme.

[stegl]

Originally Posted by Lake Flyer

My take on this is in the old days most of the idiots eliminated themselves in the building process. Now that they don't have to build the idiot factor has gone way up. Not a good thing in this hobby!

Lake flyer has made a reasonable statement. It was the ones that persevered in building that continued on in the hobby and learned as they went.
Today I see so many that hodge podge their quick build foamies and others that have never come up the ranks with a good knowledge base of rebuild, repair and get her in the air again. We took more time for corrections and learned from others.

Part of the reason we don't see a lot of wood kits today is that most new flyers and even some older ones want the instant process. Manufacturers today make many more dollars in the foamies than they ever did with wood built models. Wood kits, regardless of their complexity are much more expensive to produce and a lot of buyers don't want to pay the price plus the labour to get into the air.

Just look at the demise of some of the great wood manufacturers , Royal, Dave Platt , Great planes(original), Goldberg and TopFlite (original) and others . There are some still there in name but have gone the route of Chinese built ARF versions. Some good ; some bad.

Just my take on it.

[slash60]

I have already finished my wife's LT-40 and have maidened it these past few weeks (actually enjoyed flying a trainer again). She ,on the other hand ,is learning to fly on the Phoenix simulator which teaches her the basic idea of flying. So far she has a good hang of it.
During the building process she has helped me put together the plane in one form or another. The best thing I got out of this is when she said, make sure that when we fly her plane that I do not let her crash it. That is the best thing I ever heard regarding her entry into this hobby.
What I heard was the pride ,value and time that she put in it as well as the time learning how to fly it in the sym, when she said that. That is what I am trying to instill to new flyers. I got some guys already in by buying hand me down trainer packages. I do tell them that they do need to get at least a build for themselves. I am always there to help in any way I can.
There are some students that have graduated and do not know much how to go about doing repairs and how things should be set up in planes that they buy. It is not their fault. That is where we as builders can help and also encourage them to learn.
All I can say for now is to just help those who are getting into the hobby, either a new builder/flyer, just flyer or just builder. We are in this for the fun and camaraderie. Lets keep it going, lets help one another .

[OLD PRAIRIE RED NECK]

Just thinking about this whole issue again, there is the thought that foamies are good for the hobby by attracting those who would otherwise not be in it. I'm beginning to have serious doubts about it being good for the hobby. It seems to be attracting a lot of temporary riff raff that have no "stick with it" interest. It's decimating the supplies for the real hobbyists as the LHS's have had a taste of the easy money and now only want to get that first time quick buck. And as others have said it makes it easy for the idiots to get in quick and easy and spoil the reputation of all of us in the public eye.

[PRS]

I love to build and currently have 2 scratch built planes and plans for another. In the middle of a Sig Clipped Wing Cub...
I also have 2 foamies-A Radian Pro and an Artizan.
I bought the foamies 2 years ago when I wanted to get back into it again and still fly the Artizan at least one flight for fun every time I go out.

I can see both sides of the discussion:
1-Foamies are easy to get into the hobby quickly (or get out for that matter).
2-Building a kit/scratch gives you knowledge about the aircraft.

I say to each his own.

BUT BUT BUT!
What do I see a lot of? Huge 3D ships that are ARF and built up with HUGE props that can and will do a lot of damage. Do we put the guys that fly these thousands of dollars ARF's in the same light as the guy that spent 2 or 3 hundred dollars on a foamie?

If I showed up at your field with my Artizan would you look down on me? Would it be the same if I showed up with my scratch built Bird of Time?

something to think about...

[slash60]

We cannot avoid people aka "future hobbyist" with their foamies (drones, another sub topic) to make it bad for us "seasoned hobbyist". Their lack of knowledge as to the basics of this hobby certainly would make us roll our eyes when they start asking info, which for "us", are basic knowledge.
However we have to live with it , adapt and try to make the best of it. Its easy to say what I am saying, but I practice what I say in terms of helping out those that are not in the same field/level as we are. Perhaps somewhere along the line, they will pick up and learn a little more deeper.
We cannot fault these newbies now. That is their generation they have grown into. Like somewhere in this thread said, we " seasoned builders/flyers" have to let go/move on. We have to adapt. We have to reinvent ourselves so we can make this hobby "fun". Is that not what we got into this in the first place?
I came across a fellow that was buying stuff in RCC. He happened to mention that he was looking for a field around my area. I asked him, did he looked into RCFCT and he said that the few times he was there asking for info with his foamies, he was frowned upon and given the cold shoulder treatment which he said made him go fly his foamy in some vacant land somewhere.
I cannot speak for whoever it was that he came across but its these instances that we need to get off our "position" and level the field so as anyone can find our hobby welcoming and fun.
If we truly want our hobby to grow, we must help in the simplest way we can . Be open to all mediums, whatever they maybe. People change, attitude change, somewhere they may change. People may or may not build, what is important is we get people in and help them be more responsible "hobbyist".
Whatever you build, whatever you fly should not matter. Its how you treat your fellow modeller that matters the most , today tomorrow and for the future.

[OLD PRAIRIE RED NECK]

Originally Posted by PRS

What do I see a lot of? Huge 3D ships that are ARF and built up with HUGE props that can and will do a lot of damage. Do we put the guys that fly these thousands of dollars ARF's in the same light as the guy that spent 2 or 3 hundred dollars on a foamie??

I do! The only real difference I see is the depth of their pockets. This is not always true but more and more I see guys going directly from foamies to giant scale 3D. Spending their way up the peer ladder rather that earning it with skinned knuckles and sweat.

Originally Posted by PRS

If I showed up at your field with my Artizan would you look down on me? Would it be the same if I showed up with my scratch built Bird of Time?

No I would welcome you, inquire tactfully of your competence level, offer help/instruction, ask the length of your stay, offer you a gate key if it was for more than one day and go back to what I was doing.

Now if you showed up with that Bird of Time... I would be all over you like a fat kid on Smarties, drooling uncontrollably, asking for your advice and checking to see if you needed a best buddy!!!