ORIGINAL: A1
While I'm out making $30.00/hr. There's some 10 year old in China building my plane for me for .30/hr.
I've noted, over the past few years I've been flying, that most people who build don't fly as often as ARFers.
They seem more into the static display.
I hear you, and it gets worst when you make more money, believe me:-) I guess every club is different, but at our club, most planes flown are ARFs. Some of us build some of our planes and ALSO fly ARFs, and a very few (all retired I must add) fly ONLY planes built by them. But, I must say, only a handful of our members (I include myself) would have built and covered a plane with the quality the Chinese did w/my Great Planes RV-4 1/4 scale ARF. Or the Custiss Hawk (also GP) for that matter.
There seem to be a link between age and kitbuilding. Those of us who build are getting up there in years. It is rare to see young kit builders (Disclaimer: this is my personal observation, and applies only to the clubs I visit). Also, many of this builders are very condescending with the ARF pilots, and are always talking about the superior quality of their (own built) planes. Ha! In the old days there were good builders and just builders... I have seen wings fail, 2 planes have their wings fly off (rendering the fuselage a lawn dart), firewalls rip off in flight, landing gears fail, and I even saw a plane (in her maiden flight) loose the elevator (it was pined, but the pins missed all hinges), that one did not end well, heck I saw a plane loose the top covering of a wing (it landed in one piece)...
Kit built is not synonymous of good quality, the same way that ARF is not synonymous of bad quality:-) That's my story and I am sticking to it...
Gerry
Electric Telemaster ARF, 1/4 scale electric RV4 ARF, Curtiss Hawk ARF (Brillelli 26), Sig Clipped Wing 1/4 scale Cub (G-26), Balsa USA 1/4 Scale Cub (Quadra 42) - Finishing this winter BUSA 1/4 scale Fokker DV-III and 1/3 scale Morane Saulnier A1