So I'm in the driveway test running an engine. Its a scale model. The tank is mounted quite low because of a cockpit. The plane has some fuel flow issues and I've just installed a pump and I'm trying it out. When a neighbor sees me and comments how patient I am to spend so much time building models and working out the bugs they sometimes have.
I've heard this comment before, "I wish I had your patience". I've never really understood it. But this day I gleam some understanding. He sees all of this tinkering and problem solving as aggravating or frustrating. Its never occured to me as any such thing. Don't get me wrong, I try to build a plane that works perfectly right out f the shop. But most often some aspect of the machine needs some refinement. But, as in this case, I try the simplest fix first and then spiral outward to the more complex. This case required the addition of a fuel pump, ( which worked wonders and solved all my problems). But I've always enjoyed testing and refining. Locate the problem, isolate it, devise a solution, and implement it. Try to be eloquent and above all, keep it as simple as possible.
So , even though I would rather the airplane did work perfectly the first flight, I knew it may not. I fixed it. And now I will enjoy flying it. But patience isn't a word I would have used to describe the experience. I wasn't aggravated or annoyed. I enjoy these little challenges. And when I did finally understand why people sometimes use the word, " patience" to describe my hobby, I was shocked. For me, patience is something required of me only when other human beings are involved, not airplanes.
So, am I alone here? Has anyone else had people refer to them as patient? Do other modellers ever feel frustrated? Isn't tinkering with machinery fun ? I thought Americans were world famous for their uncanny ability to make machines work, at least in the early 20th century.