JCB,

No one can give you advice as to how you should feel about losing a plane (or 2 or 3). Maybe this is not the hobby for you. I learned to fly many years ago at Sepulveda Basin, before buddy cords and without an instructor. I can't count how many crashes I had. I had building experience, so repairs were not traumatic. But the idea of quitting the hobby just was never there. Eventually, I had more flying time and less repair time, and I've lived happily ever after, since that time.

Many of us in this hobby are simply "hooked" on flying and just plain don't know any better! Some crash $100 airplanes, others $1000 airplanes. It's all the same.

As in most things, there is a "cost/benefit" aspect to this pastime. If the cost (financial and emotional) is not worth it, hey, face up to it, it's not worth it. Pour your resources into another activity that feels better.