ORIGINAL: Stickbuilder
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That happens a lot when you're around, Bill.
ORIGINAL: dlc60
You've nailed it, for me at least.
Half of the fun of a plane is the process of building it and seeing it take shape. 40% of it is the beauty of the final product, the last 10% is flying it. I can use my flight simulator is all I want to do is fly, that is cheaper yet than an ARF. It is the art and beauty of the craft that draws me in.
I suspect this is the reason that I don't care much for ducted fans. Jets (in my eye) are ugly functional beasts with no consideration for aesthetics, they are pure functional mayhem. WWII and WWI aircraft are (again, to my eye) artistic, creative and attractive works of functional art. Burt Rutan is the only jet designer out there IMO that gets this. His craft are beautiful to behold, flying or not. Compare Spaceship One to the Space Shuttle, 'nuff said.
To each his own, really. Now see, I'm a bit different along some of those lines...
First, flying the finished product is MUCH more than 10% for me...that "soul" I spoke of earlier takes on a very special meaning to me when I fully "experience" it in the air. Again...not a "right or wrong" thing, just a personal taste.
And I couldn't disagree more about jets. *heh* I'm certainly in your camp when it comes to Rutan...he is, imo, every bit as "ahead of his time" as was Howard Hughes...and perhaps more so in some ways. And you're right (imo)...his creations speak of a deeper appreciation for the magic of flight than any other designer before or since.
However, while there are certainly some UGLY jets running around, a great many of them (to me at least) are true works of art. The F4 Phantom comes to mind...it's soul lies in its "ridiculous" look. Angles everywhere, bits and pieces jutting out in strange directions....heck, the airplane is, my father always said, PROOF of the idea that given sufficient thrust, ANYthing will fly. And yet, even sitting still (and certainly roaring through the sky belching huge clouds of black smoke), it just says "I'm ugly, I'm fat, and I'm inefficient, but by god, DO NOT tangle with me"...its "beauty", to me at least, stems from its apparent complete disregard for looks.
And, I guess, that's really what we're both saying here...that ability to "personify" what is, in reality, nothing but a collection of bolts and metal and wire, and perceive that it has "an attitude", or that it is saying something to us.
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On a lark, I went out and counted. In my shop, as I type this, there is 1 kit in the box, 1 pile of balsa and plans and wing cores and a fuse sitting on or around the build table, and 37 rolled sets of plans (many of which I'll probably never build, I know).
I really have to agree with Stickbuilder here...while it's certainly one thing to have a "kit", ultimately, the difference between a "kit" and a "scratch build" is just a pile of balsa, really. Sure, there might be a cowl or canopy or something, but for the most part, it's just wood...and often poorly cut or selected wood at that, or perhaps simply OLD wood that has picked up some moisture over the years. So, while "kits" may go away, I don't think BUILDING ever will.