I've watched the thread develop with a bit more than just passing interest. As a builder I am definitely frustrated at how good kits are pushed off of the market because of ARF's coming onto the scene. As a moderator of the Beginner's forum I've watched as some people who swore up and down that they could NEVER build a plane because they just don't have the time or the skills, but then after they actually tried it they are completely hooked on building. The didn't realize that it's not as hard as it looks. So because of that I think that everybody should at least try it once, although I know that most will never try it.

But with all that aside, here is the point that I would like to add to this discussion. I think that REQUIRING somebody to build before they can fly is a very very bad thing. Think about it this way. They people that build now do it because they love it. They love watching the plane that they build take to the sky, and they took the time to build that plane properly because it's their plane and it was a labor of love building it. But if it's required for everybody to build a plane before they can fly I can assure you that there will be a group that will want to slap it together so that they can fly. So instead of a well built reliable plane they will have something that was put together anyway they could make it happen. This could, and would, result in some planes trying to be flown that are truly dangerous because they weren't built properly. These types of planes could be dangerous to even put in the air. The point I'm trying to make is that you just can't force somebody to do what they don't want to do.

I do think that a lot of these people that fly ARF's should have to learn to repair their planes too. How many times have you seen somebody damage an ARF and just throw in the trash barrel because they don't have the foggiest idea of how to fix it?? And why should they fix it anyway, they can just buy another ARF and get back in the air by next weekend? I myself have pulled more than a few ARF's out of the trash at the field that I have repaired and put them back in the air as good as new. Sometimes this is a good source of income for my hobby account when I resell those repaired planes to others in the hobby. Heck, once I even sold it back to the guy that crashed it. He bought it from me because I was selling it for less than they new ARF would have cost so he saved money that way.

I may get a large amount of flak for this next statement, but I feel that the ARF's built today are designed and built with the attitude that they won't last forever. I'm not saying that they aren't built well, because I have seen some truly amazing ARF construction jobs in the last few years. What I am trying to say is that I don't think that you'll see somebody with a 10 year old ARF, or an ARF that has 400+ flights on it. They just aren't built for the long run or with durability in mind. The planes will simply wear out in time. But how many built planes have seen that have that many flights on it?? I see them all the time. I have one that I build that broke 400 flights last year, and I have another plane build by a master builder at our field that is 15 years old and is still as good as the day he built it.

I do know that the comments about the durability of ARF's is a bit off topic, but I felt that it does go along with our discussion here. One last comment and I'll put the soapbox away, I promise!!

One reason why ARF's are so popular is because of the instant gratification generation. These are the people that want to buy a plane in the morning and be flying it that afternoon. They show up at the field all the time with their big expensive fancy ARF's. And these are also the types that go from hobby to hobby to hobby. This year it's RC planes, next year it's fishing, the year after that it's golf, and so on. We've all seen them so you all know the type that I am talking about. I had one that I taught to fly last year that soloed and 4 months later he said "I can do all the tricks out there now so I guess that I'm bored with this hobby now!!" Yes, you heard right---- 4 months and he had done it all!!!!! One thing that I am seeing more and more of is that those who start off with ARF's and actually stay in the hobby will later try kits. They get tired of showing up at the field with their ARF's and their planes looking like everybody else's plane at the field. Or they want to see what's involved with building. Whatever reason they try it and fall in love with building. Those are the people that are going to keep this hobby alive, not the instant gratification group.

Ok, getting ready to put the soapbox away. I tell a lot of people that I have a prediction to make. I predict that kits will come back. It may not be next year, it may not be in 5 years, but they will come back. Eventually the hobby will sort itself out and all the young people buying ARF's now will want kits in 5-10 years.

Ken