Billmeister

I'm just glad I do not fill up my car with nitro 35% or it would possibly cost me $490.00 for a tank of gas.

Gray Beard

My Feedback: (-1)

I have aquired stuff over the years. The most money I have spent was my radio and a couple of high end gas engines. Other stuff was traded for or given to me then rebuilt. Most of my planes have been built from plans so they were very cheap to build. I almost never need to buy anything these days. I have friends with a lot of money and they aren't afraid to spend it and think nothing of it. The hobby can be expensive but it doesn't need to be. I tell new people to spend the money on a good radio then start looking for deals. The radio can be with you for decades so it's money well spent.
I used to compete in shooting events and spent my time bird hunting. That's a high dollar sport but I was able to work around that too over the decades. Once I was set up and knew what I was doing it cost me almost nothing.
No mater what sport/hobby it is you can have high end equipment without spending big money. It's more about how you go about things.

ES CONTROL

The dream plane is not hard to come by. All You need is a plan. You do not buy everything at once.

wesaysoracing

try owning a open wheel modified dirt track car they are money pits too

Stealthjet

This hobby is not expensive, look at my deal 86 inch TL-Ultralight at $299 shipped. WWWOOOOWWWW

her is the link

http://www.rcuniverse.com/market/item.cfm?itemID=814090

Stealthjet

Look at this deal 86 inch wing span and fiberglass fues at $299 shipped

http://www.rcuniverse.com/market/item.cfm?itemID=814090

kiwibob72

This, like most hobbies, is as expensive or as inexpensive as you want to, or can make it.
If I wanted too (or had resources to enable me with the expensive option), I can go out tomorrow and spend $500 and get everything for a GOOD park flyer that will last me, OR I could spend $15-25K on something like a CARF P47 with a 250 Moki .... and then go and buy another one of their different planes each year.
So the amount you spend is entirely up to you, and there is no right or wrong answer and/or amount. I know a guy at my club who gets as much of a kick from flying their (modded) parkzone P51 as they do flying their H9 60 sized Spitfire - which is over 4x the cost. Jury is out on his H9 B25 though.
So, as far as this being an expensive hobby in comparison to others, I sold 'kite buggy' gear that cost me over $5k before I brought my nitro heli (first big ic model) and to date I don't have $5k invested into this hobby (not including the cars and yachts I have before getting airborne either) ..... but if I had unlimited resources, the sky would be the limit on what I could spend on this hobby as that aforementioned Moki powered CARF P47 would be just the start!

Villa

When I first saw the SPAD section further down, I went into it full bore. Yes, they are ugly. But they fly great and survive rough landings well. Since I design all of my own planes, I get tremendous enjoyment from that experience. To me that is a big part of the hobby. I have engines that are 10 to 15 years old that I still use. I build a plane for maybe $20.00, using Coroplast, or Foam Insulation from Lowe's, or aluminum angle from Lowe's. I bend up my own landing gear from music wire and have plenty of wheels that are probably 20 years old. I fly 2,3 4,5 times per week. My cost is so low it is not a factor. I only use OS engines since I hate wasting time trying to start the others. My electric Foam Flying Wing with landing gear is my current frequent flyer. I only have one radio, a low priced 2.4 Futaba about 5 years old.

ES CONTROL

OH The    Galloping Ghost !    How I would love to hear that engine singing in my back yard.

zacharyR

My Feedback: (5)

it's all relative to what you make of it


from the cheap'st aspec mico flyer's and " swap meet used airpalesn "


to giant scale jet's the real bottom line is there is no cheap hobby that's fun .. and what's cheap to you isn't cheap to someone eles

to someone budget minded i'd consider swap meet's and puting in eldbow work

Tarasdad

How expensive this hobby is is directly related to how much you can afford to spend on it. For me it's expensive because I live on a fixed income (SSDI) and have subsequently low disposable income. I have to plan every expense, which limits what I can afford to do. On the other side of things I know folks who wouldn't hesitate for an instant before dropping $20,000 or more on a new jet.

"Expensive" is far too relative a term for definitive declarations.

pmerritt

My Feedback: (118)

Like the Mercedes Dealership salesman says, "son, if you have to ask, you can't afford it".  Hell, a Cinemark Theaters # 2 with 2 drinks and a (not nearways as big as it used to be) large bag of popcorn cost $25.00 DAMNED dollars!  That's a gallon of good quality glow fuel and I only get 1/2 the bag and one of the drinks which lasts almost past the 30 minutes of stupid commercials one has to watch beforethe beginning of a new run movie. That doesn't include the $14.00 for two tickets.  Let's see, I'm up to $40.00 for 2 hours of entertainment there.  It's all about what you care to spend on the luxuries of life.  

Link119

My Feedback: (1)

I came from cars so i agree. Cars have many more parts to break, and you need to go to a track to have fun with it (where i live). So basically i got bored and i traded for my slow stick, and so far i like it. I have a little ex-pond at the end of my street so i can just fly there on a calm day.

tfarmer96

Like i tell my wife its cheaper than booz and hookers

Airplanes400

My Feedback: (349)

I've been a Platinum Member with Tower Hobbies for eight consecutive years now. That means I gave them at least $3,000 each year for the past eight years. Add to that, the 20 years prior when I was just a Gold Member. I'm also a Platinum Member at Hobby King. I also buy engines and many other R/C related items from other companies and hobby stores. They send me Christmas cards every year to thank me for the business/money I give them!

Then, I buy a few plane kits and BVM jets each year. That goes well into the thousands too. I never crash any, so my hangar is over-crowded. I hope I live long enough to fly them all!

I managed to sell two planes this past year, but sold them for 25% of my cost. I don't even want to think about the 100's of hours I put into building each of them. So there's more of a loss/expense.

I also buy thousands of dollars worth of R/C equipment through the RCU classifides each year. I go to the field twice a week on average. With that in mind, I burn up two gallons of nitro fuel (at $18 a gallon), and a few gallons of gas each week. I'm sure I'm forgetting other expenses, but that's enough for now.

Just starting to add all this up is getting me sick.

Now, I pretty much have all the planes and jets I will need for the rest of my life, unless I find a deal that is too good to pass up (which I usually find). So, lets add another $4,000 to this financial tragedy. If I'm lucky enough to live long enough, I can cost-average this hobby down to about a mere $5,000 a year (plus fuel). Otherwise, if I die in the next 5 years, this will really become an expensive hobby, and I'll be one really pissed off corpse.

Now, what were you saying about this hobby not being expensive?

Tommygun

My Feedback: (2)

This financial guru would disagree- he thinks hobbies are bad. http://www.daveramsey.com/article/do...ney_budgeting/

I gotta admit, the article really made me feel guilty about spending ANY money on hobbies, and I primarely do parkflyers, but they can add up just like anything else. While I've curtailed hobby spending A LOT since my glow flying days, it still pains me to think what I've spent over the years. I can't bring myself to quit, otherwise I would- it's just too much fun! On the flip side, I think it's dumb that people will balk at anything over $50 for a plane because that's what an Air Hogs goes for at Walmart. We've never had it better price wise, look at prices of planes, engines, radios back in the 70's and 80's, then adjust for inflation!

pmerritt

My Feedback: (118)

SCREW THE HOUSE PAYMENT....THEY CAN WAIT.....GO BUY AIRPLANE STUFF!

Steve Seebold 100

My wife has never complained. Well, maybe once, when I walked in the house covered in matal chips.

I compared my hobby to hers one time. I slept on the sofa that night.

She makes quilts. She has a long arm, free hand quinting machine, $4,500.00. She has a 6 needle embroidery machine, $10,000.00. She has a single needle embroidery machine, $3,500.00. She wants a 10 needle embroidery machine, $15,000.00. AND she has other sewing machines not listed here.

She will bring a new machine home, and when I ask "HOW MUCH DID "THAT" ONE COST" she will just say "I love you". and change the subject.

I'll bring home an engine that cost $1,500.00 and she doesn't say a word.

I made her a deal once. When ever I get a new model, she gets a new diamond. A friend told me once, "Seebold, I've seen your wife's diamonds. You're WAY behind".

jester_s1

Dave Ramsey actually doesn't teach people not to have hobbies. He teaches people not to let hobbies keep them in debt. I've listened to him a lot and he's talked about having the toys- the jet ski, boat, country club membership, etc. He teaches that those things are good as a reward for yourself after you're debt free and can afford them without stopping retirement saving or other financial responsibilities. It's good advice and very helpful in getting the wife to be ok with my toys.

hulio516

Best thing to do is go to the old folks home and pick out a woman that looks half dead and tell her you want to marry her. Make sure she has a huge bank account though. Then tell her if she ever dies you'll be by her side for the rest of your life.

Then when she actually dies have her cremated, throw her remains in an old gallon fuel jug, stick it in the trunk and head to the flying field.

Problem solved!

kiwibob72

+1 on that ...

GaryHarris

I don't have any other hobbies except racing rc cars, fishing, motorcycles and mountain biking. (well, cept the booze and hookers) [8D]

My cheap mountain bike. []

deanz406

My Feedback: (28)

I pretty much agree with the consensus of opinions on this subject, and I have explained it to my wife this way " I don't drink- gamble, do drugs, or ***** around, or waste money on trivial things, and non necessaties. I know guys who have spent $6500.00 on a set of golf clubs, $2500.00 on a bowling ball, $4000.00 on fishing gear(not including the boat and suv), $10,000.00 on a select few trap shotguns, etc. For me, I've loved aviation all my life, did get some real flying time, going for my private license, but that got out of my reach, so I reverted to the second best thing for me, and that's this hobby. I do some scratch building, kit building, and look for bargains at the local swat meets, and club auctions. I feel that while I'm in this life, having worked for 50 years, I am a little entitled to at least enjoy of the fruits of my labor, and my time on this earth. Every individual has to put a perspective on what they enjoy the most, and do it in a manner that is affortable to them, and not taking away from the priorities in their life, or family responsibilities. "you only get ONE go around in this lifetime, so I'm enjoying it to the fullest" That's my motto, and I'm fulfilling mine.

Dockman

I am just getting into this hobby and I must say I feel it is a very inexpensive hobby.

ES CONTROL

dockman Focus on your goal , and slowly , go for it.