Snacker, Welcome to the Hobby! Congrats on the Solo! And if you think that’s a “donkey move” - my guess is that we’re all in the same boat!

About a week after I soloed I crashed my first plane. Then a couple of weeks later I crashed my second plane! I wasn’t able to repair my first plane - too much damage. But, I’m still flying my second plane. It’s probably been damaged 3 or 4 more times since that first crash and repaired each time. Just minor things like a short excursion from the runway upon landing removed the landing gear when I hit a rut. Or the time that I bounced a landing and the firewall separated from the front of the plane ... A year later I’m still flying that plane. It’s built my confidence in my flying skills and it’s taught me a lot about repairing. So much that recently I bought and built a kit!

I did replace my second plane shortly after that first crash. It enabled me to keep flying. But, my second plane is still my favorite. After all of the repairs and time that I’ve spent with it, it just has a special “place”.

This hobby is more then just buying an ARF and flying - if you want it to be. I encourage you to try you hand at repairing, it may open a whole new world for you. It did for me.