RE: How much do you spend on model airplanes?
Ice, I’ve been playing with planes for about 5 years. I guess I’ve spent between $2000 and $3000 total; possibly more. The amount per year has varied quite a bit.
My job is ‘payroll supervisor’ at a large manufacturing company. My annual salary is a little more than half of Missleman’s number.
I am single, which means I get to decide how to spend the money. It also means there is only one income to cover all expenses. My house payment, and associated expenses, is the same as my neighbors’ but they have two incomes. So, being single has financial advantages and disadvantages.
After high school I got into hot rod cars. My best friend and I built a drag race car. That cost about $30,000 and I eventually sold the car for $7,500. A few years later I bought a 1972 Camaro show car for a pile of $$. I dumped thousands more into it and rarely drove it because it was so hard to keep it show quality if dirt got on it. I sold that a couple of years after I got my first plane.
My taste in planes is pretty much a 60 size plane with a .91 four stroke engine, or a 40 size plane with a .70 four stroke.
The typical cost of my planes is
Airframe, $100 to $300.
Engine, $175 to $250
Flight pack, $100 to $150
After the race car and show car experience, RC plane prices seem almost reasonable.