Rob2160

Start modestly and as skills and knowledge improve, the risk will be less even if the cost is more.

I have flown RC fixed wing for 35 years and feel confident to fly any RC plane, however 4 years ago I started with RC Helicopters and accepted it was a new learning curve.

I started with modest, inexpensive co-axials and worked up through fixed pitch, then to CP Helicopters. But all of the first 450 size Helis were cheap clones costing under $200 to put in the air.

This was enough for me to learn without risking too many $$$. Eventually, I had enough confidence to buy a few larger and more expensive Helis and fly them with a reasonable expectation that I would not crash.

Later when I wanted to practice Heli Aerobatics, I built a very cheap clone, (under $100 to put in the air) with cheap components and it became my aerobatic trainer. I actually didn't care if it crashed because it owed me so little.

But it was very effective as an aerobatic trainer because I took risks with it that I would not do with my better Helicopters..

stoneenforcer

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very interesting OP. I fly pricey jets and purposely don't ponder on the risks much as it would drive me nuts. instead Im sure to stay on top of the jet components and to make sure everything is tops to help give me that peace of mind and I'm extremely confident in my ability to handle unexpected inflight failures. one thing I hate is when people ask , " do you ever crash them ? " truth is, I haven't crashed in many years. lucky? no!

I believe its not if, but more of when will it crash, since everything has a fail point. I accept it and keep my ideal replacement frame in the back of my mind as something to look forward to, in the event of a heavy loss.

just my thoughts....

AMA 74894

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I don't know and I don't care.

(that was a joke... )

hookedonrc

Joke or not, it is quite funny... I find that my IPAD has a mind of its own when it comes to composing a response. It inserts words that are not even close.

AMA 74894

My Feedback: (1)

seriously, though I have to agree completely with both these responses...
I'm also retired (well, sort of) from the aviation industry, and I try hard not to form any emotional connection to my airplanes.
(airplanes I have inherited from deceased loved ones are tough to do this with)
but at the end of the day I know in my heart that I can crash an 'expensive' RC airplane, and walk to my car without a scratch.
(of course, I AM very concerned about operation safety)
I too have witnessed some awful AWFUL things in full scale aviation.
I was raised at the flying field, and not at the airport.
funny how I spent so many years getting my career on track in full scale, and now that I'm not 'in' the industry anymore I much prefer spending my time at the field, and not the airport.

crash a model airplane?? as long as no one gets hurt, it's time to find a new favorite!

Luchnia

My Feedback: (21)

It seems that confidence is a key to dealing with risk. I really consider it more of a challenge than a risk because for me a risk needs a baseline standard of loss that would determine if it is risk to me or not. An example would be that a risk to me would be the danger of a nearby fire destroying all my RC stuff (low risk), but losing a plane not so much.

Risk=exposure to the chance of injury or loss; a hazard or dangerous chance. To me a loss of money all depends on what ones considers the baseline that they set. I know guys with umteens of thousands in planes and their baseline is much higher than mine. I don't like losing a dime yet my confidence level is high that I won't lose anything much at all.

I have a plane that I have put about 600-700 flights on and I finally dorked it (flying excessively reckless) to the point that I did not want to repair it. Any plane that will go that long really don't owe me anything as I have gotten what I consider my money's worth and my enjoyment's worth out of it. And when I dorked it I still got all my good parts so I was only out the plane.

RCFlyerDan

My Feedback: (54)

I was extremely nervous when I was up grading to the more expensive models. Fortunately, other's asking me to maiden and teach them to fly their models, I became used to flying expensive models early, but still took the responsibility very seriously, since they were friends too. I then started to up grade myself, and now flying two jets that are both over $10K invested in them. I look at it like the stock market, and tell my students that to never put more $$ into the air, then they are willing to loose in the stock market. Once it is gone, it is gone, just like in the stock market. I also tell my students that are upgrading, if they can't go over to the plane/jet sitting on the ramp and jump up and down on it, until destroyed, then they can't afford to fly it. I have loss expensive models, and since this is a hobby, I look at how much fun I got out of the money, and as others have said, it all boils down to money. If you crash every week or month, then you shouldn't be flying expensive models, unless you have an unlimited income. If you have to think about the money, then the plane/jet is too expensive for you to fly.

M_Callahan

LOL!

Foodstick are you going to be able to come east for the Ohio Dawn Patrol this year?

Mike

MTK

To put a number on Risk, organizations look at the Frequency of mishap Occurences (and put a number on that), the Severity of the mishap (and put a number on that), and then calculate a Risk Index number through an algorithm. The RIsk Index is statistically tied the product or process in review. Larger companies (Defense Contractors, one example) and Medical/Pharma Companies, live and die by assessing Risk regarding the products they build and sell.

One could use similar rationale to gauge the Risk he takes in flying his crate. Consider the frequency of mishaps and the severity in terms of both money and time. You could probably make that assessment before you purchase any crate of choice. Of course, if you did the assessment you would probably opt to stay home!.......

flycatch

My Feedback: (26)

Risk is based upon knowledge and skill. Know yourself and everything related to what makes your airplane fly. Last month I maiden a new model and was two mistakes high going through the trimming procedures which included power on/off stalls. When I landed I was approached by two different individuals who asked me why I was flying so high. I answered with one word "trouble".

Speedy-Gonzales

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I spent over 2 years building a 28% Gee Bee Z from Hostettler plans. Showed it at the TOLEDO Expo and was proud of it. I did all the preflight checks and then realized it was time to fly it. Nothing left to do. Fired it up and taxied out, made my turn into the wind and took a deep breath and advanced the throttle. At 27 pounds I let it roll on the mains and then "felt" the weight as it lifted off the runway straight as an arrow. I flew for 10 full minutes and made my downwind pass over the field to turn onto final. Just before making my final turn into the wind for approach the nose pitched down and it went in wicked hard. My elevator linkage failed. After I hit it was dead silence and I turned to my Dad and said "looks like I broke my prop"! He wanted to know how I could have a sense of humor at that time. What's done is done. We will start again tomorrow. The wreckage completely filled the back of my truck with a cap on it. I felt bad but you know what? I will never experience the contrast of total success and complete failure in a 10 minute period, like I did that day.

If you have never failed.....it is because you have never done anything. Anything worth having comes with a price. Quitting is easy.

foodstick

M_Callahan I don't know if I will make it this year, it sure was fun last year even if I was only there for about 30 hours ! You guys sure have a great field and fun people hanging out at the field/park...

I forgot to post my friend Bills views relative to this subject..

He says first of all, "If I ever come to a day where I am not a little scared or nervous, I will quit flying" he has a point...

Secondly he believes that when you get a really nice plane finished, set it up smack dab in the middle of your shop and just look at it everyday until you say to yourself, this thing is in the way, I might as well go fly it.

AMA 74894

My Feedback: (1)

+1 Speedy! that's exactly my philosophy.
BEST part is that you get to share it with your Dad.
I'd be willing to bet HE felt proud of you that day.
bravo, bud!

RCFlyerDan

My Feedback: (54)

Speedy!! What a GREAT attitude!! When we build, we care more about the plane/jet, then we do an ARF, due to the sweat, blood, tears and frustrations that go into a true build. This is even if the ARF cost twice as much, it is harder to loose a built plane/jet.

What I hate is the truly childish men that loose a plane, and then throw the transmitter, stomp on the plane, hit it, etc. They just need to grow up!

stevekott

Now THAT'S funny.

Another reason I love this hobby because I can hang out with guys who can have fun .. even at a time when it sucks !!

OWIERK

It hasalready been said, " It's not if, but when will you have one crash."I'm an Ace+, between radio interference, receiver failure, mechanical failure,structural failure, and last but not least just plain old dumb thumbs.
The last one was the 28 Feb 14, mechanical failure, on the second flight of theday, the elevator clevis stripped out and it went straight/ 60-70 deg. in.Airplane re-kitted. Grabbed a trash bag for retrieval and packed up to go home.
Saved all the important stuff, engine, receiver, servos, battery etc...Controlhorns, clevises, and the rest into the trash.
Replacement is already in work.

dbsonic

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In order to manage risk we must first understand risk. How do you spot risk? How do you avoid risk and what makes it so risky?

Speedy-Gonzales

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Remember this......" an expert is anyone that has crashed more than 10 times"!

You take your greatest risk when: You decide to sell the model before flying it and put it on a UPS truck.
I just had UPS lose a vintage kit that I shipped. It arrived at it's destination with the contents completely
vanished from the face of the earth. THAT pissed me off more than the GB crash.

RISK is going to sleep at night and waking up alive.
FAITH is knowing you might not wake up alive but everything will be OK.

Find humor an humility in your failures as well as your success and you will find that life is good.

thatairplaneguy

My Feedback: (50)

I went through that "change" the first time I hit the throttle....I havnt given a chit sense

abufletcher

There was a guy in our club who was always showing up with a new expensive ($500+) scale ARF and in the two years that I saw him fly he never once did a nice take-off and he almost always flubbed the landing and many times he smashed up his ARFs. Eventually he did stop coming to the field...and apparently now spends his time on his sailboat.

wjvail

My Feedback: (3)

I deal with the risk with the gamblers creed: If you can't afford to lose (financially or emotionally), you shouldn't be in the game.

If you can't bear the thought of the total loss of your device, don't play the game.

Simple. Simple.

If you can't afford to lose, don't play.

Bill

Luchnia

My Feedback: (21)

This makes me think of a guy I saw about two years ago. There was a large group out at the field and this guy was to maiden a beautiful 50-85cc plane (I don't recall the exact size)...looked like an extra or something along those lines. His buddy told me the guy had put about 3 grand in the plane. Everything was spanking new. His buddy kept telling him, "You want me to check her out and take her up first?" He must have told him that three times because he knew the guy had not flown in quite a number of months. The guy was insistent and we were watching when he took off as we knew he had not gone over the plane well enough to maiden it.

He taxied out on the runway and gunned her full blast. The plane came up about ten or fifteen foot and started this weird porpoise-ing action and he did not back off. That sucker went into the ground at full throttle, engine first and you could see pieces going everywhere. Guy was hot and he was a big football player size dude! A few folks walked out to help him but some would not go as they could tell he was mad and did not want to get in his way. He grabbed the plane cussing up a storm and then he threw it and all of the pieces in the back of the pickup and started hitting the wings and stuff with his fist!

I was over at my flight stand thinking, wow....I would have loved to have some of those parts that he was smashing to bits. I remember the whole thing so vividly. One thing is for sure, I did not go over and ask him questions like, "how bad is it? " This was a time when someone did not take to the risk so well.

abufletcher

Dumping 2-3 grand (or more) into an model that you didn't get any building pleasure out of...and then planting it into the ground right away sounds like a recipe for unhappiness. When I build a model I've already gotten my pleasure out of it before it even comes to the field.

Granpooba

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Very well stated, Speedy !

thailazer

My first RC plane decades ago was a Balsa USA Swizzle Stick and I was convinced I could fly it without any training help. (No risk when you are ignorant!) Went to the field with my ex-wife and told her to time my flight so I did not run out of fuel. The plane went down the runway, lifted off, and with my non-existent skills coming into play, the plane crashed into bits. With all the sudden quiet I hear my ex-wife say......"Err, That was eleven seconds." I built a Butterfly and got instruction from a very helpful flyer.