PaPa,

How much does a plane cost?

If you don't mind, I'd like to share with you "my experience."

Before I decided on which plane to buy, I looked at my options. I went to the local hobby shop and saw what they had to offer and find out a little more about it.

I don't rush right out and buy the first thing I see because I work hard for my money and I know that there will always be something better... so... my first visit to the hobby shop, I bought a few books on R/C flying and building. I also bought a magazine (Model Airplane News) that I now buy every month.

After looking at "kits"; "ARCs" (Almost Ready to Cover); "ARFs" (Almost Ready to Fly); and "RTFs" (Ready To Fly). I narrowed the choices down to two. I would either get the Hangar9 "Xtra Easy" RTF, or the Hobbico "SuperStar" or "Avistar" ARF.

After "doing the math" on various sinarios, I decided it would be "wiser" to build an ARF rather than a purchase a RTF.

I had never build or flown models before, and my choice proved to be the better choice this last weekend.

If I had gone with the "Xtra Easy" RTF, I would have gotten a good 5-channel radio, a great looking plane, but an unproven "MDS" engine.

The route I took cost a little more: I ended up buying a great 6-channel radio, a good looking plane with a better wing (semi-symmetrical), and a totally proven "OS" .46FX.

After my last flight, I'm glad I bought what I bought.

Had I gone with the RTF - it wouldn't have mattered, because a great looking plane and an "alright" radio is NOT as good as a good looking plane and a "great radio" - esspecially after it crashes. So I'm glad I went with what I did!

The radio was the first purchase, it was $250 (USD) with the servos, receiver, and battery.

The engine was the next purchase, it was $120 (USD).

The purchase(s) after that were more than I had calculated and beyond my practical sense would have allowed, had I known... but one thing leads to another, and you've gotta' have the stuff, or not do it the way you know it should be done.

There were glues (6 minute and 30 minute epoxies, and thick and thin CA's), drill bits, upgraded clevises and quick connectors, rubber bands, fuel, glo-plugs, a "field kit" which I had accounted for in the estimated pricing (the box itself, a battery, a starter, power panel, glo-plug ignitor), a quick-fill fuel filler, extra fuel tubing and alot of little "nickle and dime" items that ended up costing me WAAAY MORE than expected. But if I wanted to do it right, I had to get this stuff... I hadn't even mentioned the propellers, and then a prop balancer, and a tool to measure the throws once the plane was complete!

You can spend MORE THAN YOU THINK, BUT IT'S WORTH IT! If I had known just how much I would spend, I wouldn't have gotten into this, but it's funny, because either you'll like this hobby or you won't. And I love it. It's been more fun than most other hobbies that I have been envolved in, and as with all "good hobbies", it's expensive.

Ya' know what though? If you want it, you'll spend the money on it. And alot of it is only a one time purchase that you'll use over and over, so it takes some of the "shock value" out of it.

But like I said, "it's worth it!"

Originally, I thought I'd cap out at or near $550 (USD)... that's not the case. I've spent (overall) in the hobby so far $950 (USD), and that doesn't include the second ARF I just bought, my Goldberg "Super Decathlon" (which I'm sooo proud of).

After crashing the "Avistar" trainer I realized this... "it's better to have the best radio and engine than you can get, because the plane will NOT stay as pretty as you would like", and that was the cheapest part.

The Avistar was crashed by a low throttle (wing) "tip stall" by fault of nobody but myself. It will be fixed and flying as gloriously as it was before - just gimme' a week or so.

A few tips if I may:
• Get the best radio you can afford.
• Get the best engine you can afford.
• Balance the prop(s) at least 50% (I preffer 100%).
• And don't plan on keeping your new plane "scratch free".

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the cost(s) of flying. Before you can "legally" go out to a flying feild where a club has a sight for you to fly at, you'll NEED TO JOIN the A.M.A. (Academy of Model Aeronautics) for insurance purposes, and then join the club after a few flights.

The AMA is only (another) $58, but club fees will vary.

Good luck with it.