JimInCA

At the flying field a couple of weeks ago, I was talking to a friend and his wife, who accompanies him to the field on occasion. The conversation turned to the real cost for RC, in that some husbands have been told by their wives that they can have that new RC plane, but they get a comparable piece of jewelry. I then relayed the story that I was in Santa Fe New Mexico with my wife about a month earlier. We were going through some of the shops in the Old Town area when we entered a small shop selling Hand Bags. My wife has problems with her neck and shoulders, so she needs to use a backpack. She spotted a very nice hand painted leather backpack. The backpack was very nicely made and very beautiful, but the price was $300.00. I told my wife that if it she wanted it and if it was comfortable for her to ware, to buy it… but I was thinking, $300.00 new plane! So the next $300.00 plane I buy will have actually cost me $600.00. Has this ever happened to anyone else? And if so, what then is the real cost of RC for you?

khodges

My Feedback: (1)

My wife and I don't really keep a tally of who spends what for their toys. She is into horses, we have two Paso Finos and they have a continuous daily drain of funds for feed, sawdust, vet, farrier, etc, plus I have to have a big fuel gulping dually to pull the $15,000 trailer to haul the horses to shows, trail rides, etc. The flip side of this is that she is happy being able to go down to the barn and play with her critters, and she doesn't say much when the VISA bill comes and has a $700 dent in it for a ZDZ-50 and Slimline Muffler, which keeps ME happy. Plus, the horse trailer is great for hauling planes in when there are no horses in it (I keep the back power washed between horse haulings) and it has a living quarters in front that makes it a great thing to take to Joe Nall and other fly-ins too far away for daily commutes.

It's true, the real cost of each of our hobbies is greater than what we think, but the key is we both enjoy our diversions.

daveopam

My Feedback: (9)

It's a choice for us.

Model airplanes and quick pickup OR bar tab and quick pickup.

In the long run the planes are cheaper.


David

blikseme300

My Feedback: (118)

The dying RC modellers prayer. "Please God, don't let her sell it for what I told her I paid for it!"

I have a nice agreement with my wife - as long as all bills and expenses are paid I can get whatever I want. This cuts both ways - when she wants something, she gets it.

Yes, the kit or ARF price is only a small portion of a complete plane. My sums tell me that ARF's are only about 20% of the final cost.

Safe Flying!

The Ghost

And no DUI charges.

Cheers

Swager

My Feedback: (1)

My real cost for R/C now is minimal.

This year I paid for AMA, club dues, 2 props, 4 gallons fuel, control linkage stuff, spinner and other little stuff. About $150.

My first two years about $1800!!

redfox435cat

As a hobby shop owner I really don't know what it's cost me? 15000 maybe, but then agin I've paid all my depts and am making it back I've almost brocken even
when I started the hobby I had about 2000 into it within 2 years. I look at it this way

I don't smoke, I don't drink (much) no other expensive habbits. except gasonline but who can get buy that? Thats about 1400 bucks a year. So I think of myself ahead Hell of alot cheaper than Hot Rods and car tunning. your talking tens of thousands. On the other hand. For a couple more thousand that what I've put into my own stuff I could be flyin a real private aircraft[:@] Oh well

somegeek

My Feedback: (2)

This is a law of nature that once recognized and obeyed by all parties, can be very beneficial.

I don't ask my fiance what she spends on her cosmetics, clothing, women stuff or whatever and I don't get queried regarding my hobby purchases. Both of us know our finances and respect them so neither feels they get the short end of the stick and neiter steps outside of the normal acceptable purchases without first discussing to maintain said balance.

That said - my inital step in to RC is running me around $600... I haven't bought any toys for a while so this went by pretty easy.

somegeek

MormonMike

My Feedback: (2)

Try taking care of TWO wives PLUS this $35,000 hobby. Long story but it ain't what you think MM

dabigboy

It all works out pretty well for me, I'm not married and I don't date. But I'm 22 and at that "start your life" stage between school/college and a full career, so money isn't exactly abundant. Still, I manage to keep my planes going, re-did my Tiger last year, and am working on my old Extra 300S now. I'm considering a Cub as a winter project, though my R/C spending is more or less frozen for the immediate future as I just had to sink a bunch of $$$ in car maintenace. Plus I've recently developed an interest in guns, yet another money-pit hobby. [sm=tongue.gif] Fortunately there's plenty of stuff left to do on the Extra that doesn't require buying more tools/materials.

When I look at the cost of my fairly typical .40-size planes and small engines, I think "hummm, why are people always talking about R/C being expensive, you can get by pretty cheap". But then I look at what it costs me to keep supplied in props, hardware, fuel, materials and accessories for my last couple of projects, not to mention the radio upgrade that I seriously need, and it occurs to me that costs can rack up pretty quick.

Still, it's a whole lot cheaper than many other hobbies, even for the big scale guys. Just look at the previously mentioned hotrods, or motorcycles, real planes (YEOW), music, amateur radio, etc.

I don't have very many financial responsibilities at this point, so I'm hoping once I get my career going I can have a nice steady flow of extra cash for toys. That is, if I can keep the girls away.

-Matt Bailey

Jim_McIntyre

Plan for the future......

I'm at the stage of life where my wife is staying home to look after the kids.... oppressive mortgage and nevernding expenses for clothing, clubs, birthdays, outings etc. etc. it never ends.

Luckily, I saw this coming and went on a spending spree in advance. I still have engines, servos, covering, kits, glues, dope in storage that won't see the light of day for years to come.[8D]

My expenses now are pretty well limited to membership, fuel, batteries and props. I am both an avid builder and flyer and thankfully can still manage to make those occasional big purchases that catch my interest (lately large electrics).

Somewhat on topic, now that I'm on a tighter hobby budget, I'm somewhat surprised that flying large gassers is proving to be more economical that my smaller aircraft.... I had no idea how much I was spending on glow fuel and plugs and driver batteries and field batteries etc..[X(]

Jim_McIntyre

double post ... sorry.[&o]

bassfisher

My Feedback: (21)

This year has cost me a little more than most - two new planes ( just wanted s couple of new planes) - I have only crashed one older plane, a couple of new engines, and I'm on my 4th gallon of fuel. So far, about $400. Last year, it was just the cost of fuel, AMA, and club dues. Every year, cost will vary.

Broken

What a great topic--- Lets See!!

This year I had a couple of new large scale projects (completed) and one prop jet kit (under construction) $1100.00

Oh yea- Then the remodeling the entire basement in order to get a new hobbyroom $26,000.00.

daven

My Feedback: (1)

I would estimate roughly 6-8,000 annually. A big chunk of that would be travel expenses to several events I like to go to.

Expensive yes, but the wife and kid aren't starving and the bills get paid. I don't have a lot of other hobbies, so this gets most of my discretionary income.

Liberator

I am sure you will all think I'm nuts. I insist that she gets to spend what I spend. To me it's only fair. She also knows exactly what I spend and when it happens. I just got back into it, but I am already about 1500 into the bucket.

THe thing that always kills me is that when you are starting a new project, the kit, motor and such is the nothing expense, it's all the ticky tack stuff that nickel and dimes you to death. $50.00 here then $50.00 there.

But there is nothing like the rush of doing the maiden flight on something you have built or put together.

ballgunner

My Feedback: (1)

I spend what I want for whatever I really need such as engines, radios, balsa, covering, club dues and such. The rest I waste on house payments, food, gasloline and whatever the wife really wants.

WCB

I gave the wife down the road the other day when she came in with a bag of groceries. "What's this..you blow money on stupid stuff like bread and milk and I don't have a drop of airplane fuel."

Live Wire

And we are trying to get more people in to RC!!!!!!!!!!!!!1