Those that have left the hobby.......
 

........are probably not posting/reading here.

But I know from other threads that there are members here today that have left the hobby for an extended period of time only to return, or know people that have left and their reasons for doing so.

This may seem as a strange question/post from a noob that is just beginning, but what do you see are the various causes from your experience ? And for those instances that are avoidable (i.e. boredom, as can happen with any activity), how does one avoid it ?

Thanks.

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

Invest thousands of $$$$$ dollars immediately before someone talks you out of it.... that way you will be financially obligated to remain in the hobby..?? Just kidding,

I have only been in this hobby for a short time(1 year) and have known a few that have left for various reasons. First, it is an addicting hobby and therefore tends to absorb a lot of time. I have witnessed decisions made to give up the hobby in favor of spending more time with family, not a bad reason, but a Hobie as such is intended for leisure time and not intended to soak up all your free time, especially those with family obligations. I guess what I am saying is that, in moderation, it can be managed. As the addiction grows this may become more difficult for some people.

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

I know a few who have left or are thinking of leaving.. Mostly it is the time involved.. Most of the time in this hobby you don't throw a plane together in 1 night and go out and fly it at aany random point.. Yet you have to spend hours building then wait for the right weather to fly in. So left for their family, which I agree is not a bad reason, and others have left for careers, again not a bad reason.. I don't see boredom as being a huge reason to quit this hobby, since there's always something new coming out, and always some new manuever being invented or a newer bigger fly-in to be at.

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

Looks like I might be the first to post who left and came back. There were a variety of reasons for leaving. I belonged to a club who lost their field (due to noise complaints) and then found a new one that was 25 minutes further away. When it became more than an hour each way, it was hard to be motivated to fly regularly. I also went through a divorce, and then started dating someone new. For some reason, she became a bit more important, although she supported my hobbies. I think there was also a bit of burnout because I had been extremely active, including participating in a show team that practiced or got together for building sessions regularly and then traveled around the state performing. I was out of the hobby for quite a while, but when I discovered that my new house was about 10 minutes from a field immediately got interested again. It took 3 sessions at the field, without a buddy box, to solo again. It should have only taken one, but the engine kept deadsticking so I took it home for rework a couple times. On the third trip to the field, the person overseeing me told me to not play around in the air, just get the required things done so he could sign me off.

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

You can do anything but nobody can do everything. I have dropped hobbys mostly because other interests have crowded them out. Some people get a new motorcycle and suddenly you don't see them at the flying field much anymore.
The competative versions of this hobby, pylon racing, pattern, scale, can burn people out. At first you can't wait until the next event, then the next event comes at you before you are ready, and finally, you kind of start looking forward to the "free" weekends where you don't have to travel to some contest. Then you start missing more and more contests and finally just drop the activity and don't miss it.

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

I started glow planes at 15, then I found girls and cars but kept flying a bit with slope gliders..
the last thing I few was a Shuttle ZX Heli untill a crash took out any confidence I had.(almost hit myself)
I fixed the Heli but always felt like it was trying to get me.

I ended up selling the Heli and turned to Muscle Cars and drag racing for the next 10 years.

Then in 04 I got the bug again.. We'd recently moved to Colorado so we'd spend weekends driving around and checking out the parks.
We were driving through Chatfied State park and simply stumbled across the Jefco flying field. Thats about all it took to get me going again. That and my 9y/o step son sounded interested too.

I had my Dad pack up some of the old flying gear and ship it out to me..
A little later I got a great deal on a Eagle II for the Kid..
We finished that in December and had a Club Trainer take it for it's maiden flight on Jan 2nd.

On Thursday I got him a Futaba 7C so I hope he sticks with it :)

I have a Falcon III kit in the garage waiting for a few free weekends..
It's killin me that I don't have anything to fly yet..
I guess I understand the appeal of ARF's now.. I'll stick to building though.

On the bright side I'll have a hanger full in July.
Dad is driving out and bringing most of my old planes except the Telemaster.. It won't fit in the car :)
Hmm now that I think about it that 4m V tail glider won't fit either.

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

The flying field was at my home. It was mostly up to me to cut the grass. I grew tired of this responsibility. I got more heavily into sailing and I started building a model railroad in my basement. Also, my best flying buddy was showing the signs of early Alzheimers and it broke my heart to see his abilities dwindling.

When I came back this past spring, I bought an Ultra Stick .40. O.S. .46LA and an Airtronics VG6000. (I had sold most of my R/C stuff on Ebay). Since I fly Mode One, which is even less popular now then it was when I left R/C, I was on my own as far as test flying and trimming out the plane was concerned. With the best R/Cer in the club standing along side, I took off, trimmed out the plane, flew around a little while, did a loop and a roll, and proceeded to land the plane dead stick. I would have used a buddy box, if another Mode One flyer had been available.

So, I'm back in force! My hanger includes Hanger 9's FuntanaS .40, P-40 Warhawk (which I won in a drawing) a THE HOTS .40 sized, which a scratch built from Midwest's plans and I am now building a Dynaflite SE5a. I got over 100 flights with the Stick, before it met an untimely demise. What brought me back to the sport was missing building planes, the BS sessions about airplanes with flying buddies and missing the flying. I like to say the hobby to me is 50% building, 30% camaraderie/BSing with buddies and 20% flying.

Now, I like nothing better then to go out to the flying field approximately 9.3 miles from my home, hop on a mower and cut the grass! Go figure!

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

I've left a couple of times. And time was the reason in each case. Now the kids are grown and I consider the hobby estential to my mental health. How can I stay crazy without RC?

With all the arfs available you see alot more people try the hobby then walk away. Some are reall good fliers but consider RC as a pastime. Nothing wrong woth this, it keeps my LHS smiling and increases the "used" lot.

Mode One, I'm the guy who cuts the lawn and changes the sprinklers. I always figured I'd rather mow than drive. I live out where you have to own your own tomcat. So any flat spot makes a descent field. All you need is planes and people.

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

OK...
You asked for it!
I started RC back in '81.
I have been plane nuts as far back as I can remember.
I already had a pilots license so the theory of flight and all was familiar.
I progressed rapidly...solo'd the first day and all that.
Didn't know what direction I wanted to take in the hobby until I went to the Nats in Seguin, Texas.
It was fun seeing so much modeling in one place at one time. From free flight to control line, from pattern to pylon. When I saw pattern I knew that's what I wanted to do. The old AMA style of the time looked like watching the solo pilot of the Thunderbirds.
A couple years later I decided to try helicopters...for all the wrong reasons I won't go in to.
There was a club member that had started a mail order helicopter business so I had all the advice I could want. When I first started learning to hover it had been checked out, test flown and trimmed. I think that was a big advantage too.
Again I progressed rapidly.
Became a team flyer for one of the two top importers.
At the Nats in '86 I decided if I finished in the top five in F3C I would try for the US team. After day one I led! After day two I was 5th. Hmmm...how did that happen. Well, I wasn't a "name" flyer and I got politic'd. I didn't feel I should have won but felt I earned 3rd or 4th. I had been flying twice a day everyday. Buying fuel by the 55 gallon drum... it's about all I did besides go to work and mow my yard. When I left the Nats I was burned out plus I had ruined the hobby for myself with the sponsorships I received, etc. I didn't have the drive anymore to try for the US team and within a year I was out of the hobby.
Fast forward almost 20 years. We recently moved to an acreage in Iowa. I was sitting here at the PC one day this summer looking out the window when I relaized "Hey, I could fly a model airplane out there"!
So here I am back in and having a good time. Wish the weather here was like the Gulf Coast of Texas but...
At 55 I am a lot older, slower and I can't see like I used to...oh, and the nerves of steel are gone too!
;)
I wish I had stayed with pattern all these years.
I wish I had never touched a helicopter.
I would never, ever again be a team flyer.
I AM enjoying it this time around.
Good luck!
JLK

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

I was out for 15yrs. Too much work time, never weather cooperating with my work schedule. My Dynaflite Butterfly ( .25 powered 9 ft wingspan motor glider) required a club field to fly and I could never get there! Pressures of raising three children as well kept me out. Last spring my mom-in-law gave me $100 for my birthday. All my kids grown and now have a job where I work by appt only. No appts? Time to FLY!! Began with electrics this time so I could fly in my local park. Built a Great Planes Lil Poke and found out quickly that: 1. I did NOT remember how to fly. 2. This plane is underpowered and I don't know anything about electrics!! Put the lil' poke aside and built a Great Planes Basic Light Trainer. Now we are talking....many, many flights. Lots of stick time. Started haunting this site and another that does only electric only and begins with watt.. Got a copy of FMS and practiced a lot. Put a park 400 on the lil poke and now she flies well, but still too much for my skills. After several flights it became a lawn dart. Bought second kit (same plane) and this time built it straighter and lighter. Flies really well. Scratch built a semi-symetrical aileron wing for it and flew many more times. After several "hard" landings, the fuse was getting too heavy, so scratch designed my own fuse to resemble a Golden Era Cleveland Air Racer (uses the same wing). Upped the power to a park 480 and 220watts. Now fully aerobatic and flies for 20 minutes on the 3000ma LiPoly. 27oz all up weight. You can tell by the mud on the tires, this one gets a lot of airtime!

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

Just returning after 20+years. Left due to job and family. I just stopped flying, but still took the mags and dropped by field periodically. Now I'm retired and starting completely over. Very happy witn ARF's due to arthritis in hands and fingers and that is what i fly. Something I am going to do is get a low wing tail dragger. Only have flown and owned hight wing trike planes. I may ever try my hand at helis. Who know, I have the money to spend now so i guess anything will go.
I love the hobby and some of my old flying buddies still belong to the club. We fly for 5-10 and chat for 20-30. You just cant beat that.
:D :) :D

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

For me, it was the military, moving around and living in apartments, a divorce and a super small dose of fear of crashing (had the flying part down pat).[:'(] I started in RC in 1974 while stationed in MS. I had an instructor who participated in every pattern event he found out about, but he always had time to stop and work with me. When he had a contest coming up, he did most of his practicing during the week so he could work with the new pilots until they soloed.;) After the first year, I was stationed in Nebraska, and I was not able to find a club where the members made you feel welcome. Asking for help was met with looks and stares of why are you bothering me (isn't it nice that God allowed them to be born, transmitter in hand, with planes and the know how of building [another dying art] and flying them without any help).:(

My planes were too big to go flying at the numerous parks available, so I put the planes in storage, left the flying side, and went to the remote control cars (ain't RC wonderful).:D I stayed out of flying for over seventeen years. Then one day two years ago, I was at the magazine rack in a Walden Book Store, and say an issue of MAN. I was surprised at how well electric flight was advancing and gaining in the hobby, so I bought a few electrics, and here I am.:D I really got into EDF jets, but while browsing this site, I saw mention of a H9 Clipped Wing Taylorcraft. This model came and went while I was out of RC flying, but I had had a great desire to own one after seeing the plane on one of Chris Chianelli's DIY shows. Eventually, I found one NIB, bought a Z G-26, and I'm back in the saddle again for good. I have not flown the gasser yet, but I look forward to taking it up when the weather warms up.[8D]

I still have the problem of finding a field where the members make you feel welcome,[:@] but that won't stop me this summer. I met someone at my last VA appointment who invited me to fly at his club's field where everyone is welcome and you won't find any stuck-up noses. This will be a refreshing change if he is correct. The last club I checked out made sure the beer crowd (no offense) could not afford membership in their club, even though the field was on Corps of Engineer property where the public is supposed to be welcome.

Thus goes my tale. I hope it helps for whatever the reason that made the question come up. I wish I had never left long ago. I had to rebuy new radios, but for the most part, I always had my old glow planes to fly whenever I wanted to fly. I just had not met the right group to fly with where I could enjoy the experience (still got a wee bit of the super fear of crashing to work out - don't need any other distractions :)). I believe that search will soon be over. In the interim, can you say "PARK FLYER?????;)

Peace!

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

I got introduced back in 1990 by a friend who sold me a trainer 0.25 OS and a tower hobbies system 500 radio. He was instructing me how to fly and on our first lesson (no buddy box) handed me the radio. I was doing pretty well and all of a sudden the plane did this out of control dive. Needless to say it ended up in hundreds of pieces. Being newly married and frustrated over the money I just dumped, the plane and all my gear set in the basement until about 2005. I decided to buy a new JR Quattro radio and Super Frontier Trainer with a new OS Max 0.25 engine from the local hobby shop. I have a simulator and got to be pretty confident on the controls of the radio. I took the plane to a local park and tried out my first flight. The plane was doing well and I got too close to a line of trees (I really thought I was not that close) and the plane ended up stuck in the tree about 40 ft up. I could not get the plane down and it was getting dark. I decided to wait until morning and try again. Well the plane was gone the next morning. Wow! Another loss! But that hasn't stopped me, I have purchased several items off EBAY, a Great Planes trainer 20 that I will build from kit, Cessna with an OS Max 40 already built and several engines. I am determined to make this a go. I am joining a local club (my wife insists, LOL).

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

I was always into building models but 30 odd years ago I decieded to get into rc and decieded to build some static WW1 models so I could test out this new "crazy glue" they had out. The glue was amazing and I built a few models and soloed but after a few lost planes I decieded that there wasn't enough time to build and fly. NO ARFs in those days! I kept up with the static models . Even compeated, and eventually started manufacturing my own model kits (Bluprint Models) but the RC bug rebit and my son bought me an Avistar for my birthday 4 years ago. Only 4 flights to solo and the rest is history The company is more of a hobby now. Time and money were the resons I got out. Now they have ARFs and the gear is sooo much less. You can get a 40 size trainer in the air with a starter and some accessories in a couple of days for less than $ 400. 30 years ago My MRC radio cost $450 alone. That almost doesn't make sense but don't tell anyone:)

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

My Kraft Gold Medal 4 channel cost $375.00 in 1968. They cost more because they were hand assembled back then. So I feel it makes sense that they cost more back then.

Mohony, Did you ever figure out what happend to the plane in the tree?

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

They link up with the wrong people and there experience is nothing less than a nightmare. Self proclaimed instructors who are fools and should not be flying paper airplanes

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

Click on my screen name and hit the blog tab in my rc dossier then read the Blink Of An Eye entry. That will give you a little insight into how people go in and out of the hobby at various points in their lives.

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

I think another reason that people leave this hobby is the financial position. Our hobby is fairly expensive ,but that's just how it is. Someone who starts can be really scared when they see the price it takes to buy an airplane then all the tools and field equipment. Alll I know is that I love this hobby and I'll probably never abandon it!


Happy Flying!

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

From what I have seen, the best way to burn out on this hobby is to turn it into a career. Have you noticed that you almost never see the owner of the local hobby shop out at the field? Even on days when the hobby shop is closed.

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

The hobby shop owner usually wasnt in it for the hobby to begin with...

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

I've been in the hobby 26 years. I was out for about 1 1/2 years. During that period, I had moved across country, taken a new job, gotten married, and was essentially broke. We had just enough money to see a movie once a week.
When money is tight, you don't get to spend all of the discretionary income on your hobby. That money must be shared equally. So it takes a little while before you have essentially twice as much money to spend as the hobby cost.
And then there might still be an issue with spending time apart. No might, there WILL be an issue.

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

Mode One......no I have not found my plane. I believe a school kid must have found it walking to school since the park was next to a school. I am not giving up on this expensive hobby!

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

I've been into model airplanes as long as I can remember. I dropped out completely for about 10 years for education and job reasons. My oldest son got me back into modeling. I stayed in pretty avidly for about another 10 years. Then I went through the mid-life thing and decided to set up a research program which involved a good deal of foreign travel and working weekends. However, I kept my AMA membership up. I got the research under control after about 6 years, and became a department chair. When that happened, I took up modeling again to keep my sanity. Now I am retired and really enjoying modeling.

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

I don't think this hobby is any more expensive then any other hobby. I've been approached by people who were hauling their fishing boat on a fishing trip and stopped to watch us fly. They've made comments about the high cost of the hobby and I asked them how much their boat costs, their fishing equipment, staying at a resort or motel while on a fishing trip. I truly beleive fishing is way more expensive.

This hobby is like most others, you can spend a fortune or you can go at it fairly inexpensively. We all have our limits and priorities. I raised my two sons and stayed active in the hobby. My wife and family has always been supportive of my endeavors, as have I been of theirs.

I'm not saying their can't be a lack of funds for a hobby, however, I do believe if there is a will, there is a way.

RE: Those that have left the hobby.......
 

Ya, can always rob a bank;)

Disclaimer... I'm joking