By build they mean, scratch build. I've been asked that a few times and I've always given one half-hearted answer or another.

It was either, dont have the time, dont have the skills, too busy and even "just had a new baby". But, I just realized, none of those really explained why I dont BUILD my own planes.

Not being to express what I really feel, I thought, wasnt doing me any good emotionally.

I buy and assemble kits, the mini-flash and the park cap. They look and fly great. But that doesnt seem to count for some flyer. I like foamies for the instant gratification and their "crash worthiness". You should see some of the faces i get whenever I pullout a ZAGI. I'd really like to buy the Tiny-X, coz I hear it goes from the box into the clouds in 3 hours.

Gluing, covering, I can take. I want to fly balsa planes too you know. But measuring, marking, cutting, sawing, and sanding, just aint my bag. I don't have anything against those who BUILD their own planes. I think its great that they can. But, to use an analogy, if someone can play that saxophone, great! I have fun listening to a red hot chilli peppers CD too!

The next time somebody comes up to me and asks me why i dont BUILD my own planes, at least now i can answer now with conviction.

Its because "I DON'T WANT TOO".


JT

It's a hobby not a religion. If you prefer flying to building just say so. It's a valid way to be part of the hobby.

I'm the opposite. I get asked why I don't fly more, why I'm happy to spend a fair amount of my time at the field just chatting and scoping out other people's models. Answer: I enjoy the preparation, building and problem solving more than the flying. Odd maybe but I don't really care. It's my hobby. I do it the way I enjoy .

Steve

Great thing about this hobby, there's something for everyone. Some like to bench test motors and get all the data, I like to zip tie it on and think, "I wonder what's going to happen here". Doesn't matter how you enjoy this hobby..........just that you do.

Jeff

The hobby is what you make it. This is your release from your weekday world. My other hobby is gardening. One gardening author summed it up when she said, "When you close the garden gate , you step into another world." I think it is everything that surrounds the hobby that makes it fun.

I enjoy building, flying, scoping out some new product on the net, posting threads, chatting etc. The focus is that you have a hobby!! I see so many of my friends with the "nothing to do" syndrome.

Have a Passion for something!!!!! My philosophy on life is

"Life should be gulped....not sipped"

Bob

JT,

Don't feel like you need to apologize for how you enjoy your hobby. As the others said, enjoy it in your own fashion.

Tony Turley

I don't build much either, unless it's ARF. I've got two nice kits I hope to build yet this spring, if time allows.

After being in this great hobby about 30 months, I have yet to test a motor on a whattmeter. I got one last summer but haven't used it yet. Even so, there has been absolutely no shortage of flying or fun because of it. No burned up batteries, motors, or esc components either. I don't get carried away when trying something new.

I figure someday when I have more time, I'll enjoy the testing and building more. Right now there is very limited time for just the flying aspect of the hobby.

I have some friends who politely look down on my e-planes. Not sure if it's because they are ARFS that require only an evening or two to assemble. Or because they are electric. Either way, I get much more flying than they do.

Al

I love to build, although I've never scratch-built. I could see when I retire and have gobs of free time, but between my family, full-scale soaring and work, I have very little left for R/C..
..a

To scratch-build everything... is impossible. I cannot hope to build a remotely controlled electric model, reliant purely on my own capability. We people are social creatures... one individual cannot specialize out into every field, accomplish what it takes countless interested people and industries to accomplish.

Therefore I consider it natural that everyone specializes into their favourite field... builds what they consider interesting, modifies and innovates where they notice room for improvement. The rest is easier done with help from others, using components already built.

How much and what someone likes to build, design or assemble... is a matter of taste. I may reprogram control systems, build a video feedback system. Another person might create new wing/fuselage designs. Yet another might modify motors, use fuel cells, solar cells... why not jet turbines.

I need not rebuild everything my own way. I only rebuild or scratch-build what I desire to have, but cannot find -- or find lacking.

I manage to enjoy most of the hobby, and have the necessary skills to take on most any kind of building, and yet, FLYING is what turns my crank. I'm not very good at it, which has really honed my RE-building skills , but the FLYING is what I want to do. I've managed to build foam ARFS, foamies from plans, balsa kits, and a couple of balsa scratch planes of no particular noteworthiness. I just follow my curiosity and don't worry about what the other guy is doing. After all, this is MY hobby!
There isn't anything wrong with picking certain parts of the hobby that interests you and ignoring the rest. Actually, to the extent that you try to do everything, you end up doing nothing. Relax. Enjoy.

JT

after my self-psychoanalysis and with peer support from my fellow ezoners on this thread, I am now in touch with my own feelings. Time to charge up!

Thanks,

JT

JT

Don't worry about it - no-one has ever asked me why I go to all the trouble of laying out a design, drawing my own plans, cutting out all those little pieces, gluing them together and then covering them. After all that, I have stand there on the runway, apply the power and set off down the runway with little idea as to what will happen when the wings take over from the wheels.

Being English, and therefore having a thick skin and robust sense of humour, if anyone did, I'd probably suggest it's because I like to know which is my model when I pack the car to go home.

I not only enjoy the above, I love to fly too. Ask my flying buddies how much time my models spend in gentle left turns at safe heights before careful landings - I guess I just have to push every corner of the envelope.

Like the PC Police say - do whatever makes you happy - as long as you don't break the law (or upset one single person on the planet )

Regards

Dereck

For me, the only part of this hobby (sport?) I enjoy more than designing, cutting, gluing, covering and finally flying my latest scratch built is to think about designing, cutting, gluing, covering and finally flying my latest scratch built.

But I don't obsess about it...

I started building by default. Windy area, no place to fly, constant work. The only way I could stay in touch with the hobby is through building. I am finally getting the 'hang' of it.

I will appreciate the ARF's much more because of my building time....

j

I enjoy building as much as flying, maybe more. 90% of my planes are scratch-built, i even don't use plans. I make a sketch, and if I like the plane, I build it. The satisfaction I get from flying planes I designed and built is a big part of the reasons why i enjoy this Hobby.
Another point is that I can't afford buying lots of kits, I use Depron , so a new Plane doesn't cost more than 10 buks or so(emty). With an expensive plane I would fly considerable higher than I do with my easy-to-repair, little-money and limited-lifespan flyers, I dont want to risk a plane I couldn't afford to buy a new kit if I crash it.
And there are not many ARF's that match my need's, and I simply dont want to fly something everyone else can buy.

But people are different, for example, the worst thing for me to do is gardening

Erich

Erich,
For me, gardening and flying RC are just about the same thing. It just depends on whether I am turning earth with a trowel or, the nose of my S switchback!

JT