I bet this mothers day guys are telling their wives how cheap the hobby is and they believe their husbands only have $155 investment in their garage. Maybe those estate sales are based upon the stories they've been told all their lives.
ORIGINAL: jester_s1
I'm trying to figure out who so many guys want to push the point that this hobby is cheap when they know darn well it's not.
Sure, cheap stuff sometimes works fine but if you take a broader look you'll also find that cheap stuff often fails, and for a new pilot that ends the hobby more often than not.
For those who really think that the OP can get all set up and in the air at a flying site without being handicapped by his equipment for $150 total investment, I'd love to see the math you're using.
"Cheap stuff" or "quality merchandise" purchased in quantity and below market value? I have Spring Air retracts in a classic pattern plane with Hitec 605BB servos and a 61SF that was only $200. No part of that is cheap, but the price. I found a Goldberg Chipmunk kit plane that was just beautifully built, never flown, ready to fly for only $75 with another 61SF in it. Kits always last longer than ARFs and these cost less than the ARF version that doesn't come with servos or engine. I found a Phoenix 7 with Tigre blue head with perry pump ready to fly for $75 on Craigslist.
I think the OP can get all set up and in the air without handicap for $150. The math was already posted several times but moderators remove the shopping list, at the time the model was an active RCU ad, and rules dictate you don't plug the sale into the forum.
Now that it's been sold for the stated price, this is what it was:
SIG Kadet LT-40, K&B 61 Series 75, Hitec servos, New in box Airtronics VG400 with a Lil Trickle battery charger, flight box, pump, glow clip, 4 way wrench, screwdriver, fuel line, filter, electric starter, $165. I made $65 profit on it from another forum that is mostly EP. The trainer had little interest there being glow and used. The seller frequently sells items he gets from his club in Orlando. I've bought a Harmon Rocket from him before for $150 that had only a few flights on it, and I still fly it, years later.
Is this method of buying planes from forums and swap meets so uncommon it has to be ridiculed by those paying retail all their lives?