After recently cracking up an ARF for the second time in as many weeks, I've recently become interested in such building. [:@] I think it's interesting that the model can look like such a total write-off laying there in pieces at the field but actually be back in the air the next week.

I've discovered a few important points for those first post-crash moments. First, collect ALL the bits. You may not reuse them all but you'll need them to figure out how the thing was put together in the first place. Second, if at all possible keep the half-broken bits together instead of breaking them apart at the field.

Once you get home put them all aside for a day and just think about it. In the first crash (a low speed low altitude stall on a deadstick) the entire nose of the model back to the wing LE was demolished. It looked pretty bad. But after looking and thinking for a while it was clear if I started with a new firewall (and I could copy the pattern from the broken bits) the rest would be pretty easy. It took three days to get it all back together and in flying form again. The second crash was a bit messier; it tip stalled on a too slow take off and cartwheeled into the tall grass tearing off the wing. This time the nose was intact (becuase it was stronger after being rebuilt) but the wing (which was also intact) had torn out the wing saddle area and splintered the sides of the fuse. But again, I collected all the bits and was surprised to find that most of them went right back together. So with a lot of CA and a little epoxy, I had it all back together in a day or two.

Still I hate wasting any building time on an ARF so these were "guerilla repairs" not intended to look pretty at all.