Presume you are speaking of the OP.
When I see folks saying "years ago...." I want to say, right...years ago! You don't have to be a builder nor competitor to enjoy and participate in this hobby, as if that somehow matters. And is someone less a hobbyist if they "charge and fly". I find comments like promote divisiveness in this hobby, not inclusion.
Also...fwiw, scale pilots generally make the worst RC pilots, at least in my experience. Ultimately they may be the same or no worse than others, but the 4 or 5 I've met take longer to get acclimated to RC. They bring preconceived notions to RC, and usually the thought that they will do fine with RC since they flew a XYZ for such and such company. While many of the principles still apply, they are no longer yanking back on a yolk, rather it's a tiny stick. They crash more than others, especially the guy who bought a large size Cub because after all, it's the plane he learned how to fly in. Two flights and it was a pile of wood.