SO WHAT YOU TOOK A FEW WACKS. I can take it.

It is about expectations... people in this hobby set impossible high expectations for new fliers. Sure you can find a $100 plane or heli... you can even buy someones 4th hand plane and engine.

As you are talking to potential fliers... you (and I) need to mention the true cost of flying. IT INCLUDES CRASHES. If you are helping someone that can barely afford the first plane... you are doing him no favors by not explaining it to him/her.

Maybe you did not really understand the responsibility you were taking when you took the radio, but you sure do now.... and $300 is not that bad when most of the expensive items can be salvaged. Come talk to me when you have lost a $1,200 plane on the maiden flight. I have and I did not whine about it. It was my fault, entirely, no one else. You can point the finger around, but just like the NTSB reports, the PIC is solely responsible. Learn it, live it. That is why they call it the school of hard knocks. You learned an invaluable lesson that may pay off ten fold in other aspects of your life.