The RC hobby is as "Standardized" and any aspect in life today.  Take our, (US) pride and joy, our car.  How many Honda parts fit a Chevolet., How many Ford parts fit a Plymoth.   There are some standardazied, sorta parts, light bulbs and tires.  Of course, even there there are differences.  </p>

Glow engines standardized on a 1/4-32 glow plug thread.  Didn't use to be this way.  Props start life with a 1/4" bore becauce there are so many different engines that the prop may fit.  Just like tires on a car.  While one size tire may fit on several brands of cars. the wheels won't.  Look at the requirement to ream your porp to fit your engine as the wheels.  Same difference</p>

If standardization was trully carried out.  There would be only one color of covering avaiable, Cub Yellow.  Everyone at the field would have to wait for the guy flying to land because they couldn't tell the other guys plane from theirs.  Just think of it, at the end of the day flying you wouldn't know which car to get into because they all looked exactly alike.  You would have to strart "customizing" your plane,  Put a number on the wing so at least you knew which one was yours on the ground.  Wad up a McDonalds Bag and throw it in the back seat of your car.  No that won't work,  Every one likes McDonald's,  it's the Standard, and everyone has a bag thrown ith their back seat.</p>

Back to reality, the engines, radios, and planes are seldom "Made in the USA" anymore.  In fact almost none of them are, if any.   So, given that the US is a major hold out on the Metric system, the world standard is different from the US standard.  This you have to get used to.</p>

The eariler recomendation to take a deep breath and relax and enjoy is very good advise.  This is a hobby that is very dynamic is some areas.  It is also a hobby that there is no one "right way" to do things, but many ways to accomplich the same goal. Our club has what I think is a unique group of members, some with NASA back grounds, some with comerical airline backgrounds, some with a back ground in Rockets, the kind that would launch , some with a background in aircraft design and manufacture, both comerical and military, and a couple who are Aero Space professors at one of the best aero Space colleges in the country.  Then there are guys like me who has a back ground in machinery repair, computer repair, and jewelry manufacturing.  Some are building tradesmen.  Some are Dr's,  The bottom line, is that we all know a lot, but none of us knows it all.  That is the fun part of the hobby.  Learn from others and share what you know. Help those who need help.  Ask for help when you are unsure.    </p>

Don</p>

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