Building Or Flying, Which Do You Prefer?

[Tony]

You know, other than the RCH Heli, I have not really built anything in a while. The Align 450 was the last thing that I built. With the introduction of this new helicopter (to be announced later), the building fever has kicked back in.

I don't know about you, but there is something about building a kit that is calming. I woke up WAY too early today (about 3 hours early) and I was surprised to see my wife sitting at the kitchen table with two large boxes on the table in my spot. One was the engine for the RCH Heli, the other was the new heli with all of the electronics to put it together. When she went to work, I pulled everything out and started building. Yes, there is a camera involved in it! Chill lmao.

While building the kit, the time just flew by and it was just calming. Getting all of the gear meshes correct, aligning the blocks, sanding parts, I just love it.

To me, when I'm flying something around, it's stressful. One wrong move, and the helicopter or plane is trash. but when building, you can be meticulous, precise and exacting.

IMO, building is MUCH more fun than flying.

So what do you like better? Building or flying?

 

[corsair_pilot]

Hmmm I find it very hard to respond to this... I enjoy building and tinkering with the end result of being able to use it for what it was meant for... whether flying or driving... However as is the case with my hk450, I'm sick of building cos I keep building and it isn't flying... but generally speaking I enjoy both as much as the other

 

[Tony]

Not repairing, building lol. There is a HUGE difference in working on something to get it flying (RCH 600) and building it for the first time out of the box. the thing that you can ONLY do ONCE with each helicopter. Unless you are shooting videos that is, and then you get to do it over and over and over and over and over and over again lmao.

 

[svan3001]

Funny, This should come up today. I received the Carl Goldberg 1985 Cub in the post today ( I will post pictures). As excited as I was to get it to start building, I realized at the same time I have no planes to fly. My immediate thought was I should but an ARF so I could fly, but financially I am thinking with that money I could by a twin instead of a single etc. It's too hard to say which I like better, but It's a good thing to have to decide. At least we have a choice. Sam

 

[Slobberdog]

I am exactly the same as you Tony, building is calming and to me very familiar, but flying I find gets my heart racing and I get so much of an adrenaline rush, but I do find it a bit uncomfortable, and I think that is because as you say being worried of crashing.

I am getting better with that feeling but I do think its also maybe holding me back, as the money tree in the garden is not flowering,

 

[corsair_pilot]

hahaha let desperation choose!! lol
And Tony, problem is the thing hasn't been flying and it's still repairing, so i'll take it as i'm still building lol

 

[breeze400]

I'm a builder myself! I enjoy long hours figuring out how to build things. Put them together. Flying is secondary. Plus I enjoy showing the things I build. At shows that is! Lol.

 

[Karubah]

. As you say Tony, it is very calming. most likely because you are concentrating wholly on what you are doing. I'm not thinking about work or what needs to be done about the house...YOU KNOW.... those... THINGS.... that interrupt building. The sense of accomplishment you get when you have FINALLY... nutted out what the CHINGLISH iinstructionation book is TRYING to tell you. NOW, have I done this... have I set that up right..damn not sure better go back and rcheck...OH GOOD.. I did get it right.

I must say that when you finally get it in the air and it works it feels great.

I'm still at that stage when flying, that the nerves get the better of me and I confuse myself.. Ok push the throttle thingy up slowly..yess that's it...watch it, shes going to drift a bit to the left..give her a bit of right stick with the Right thumb..NO NO NO...TOOOO much go back a bit... STOP.... Damn to LATE... Oh well back to the hanger and rebuild..rebuild...rebuild.

When starting out on a new project the sense of anticipation is FANTASTIC. The excitement builds the closer the NEW package gets. Anyway that's my 2 bobs worth

 

[Derek]

Building or flying????? Geez! I would have to say that I definitely like to build 'em more than flying them.

A clear example would be my office wall, which is layered with scratch build planes that are still waiting for electronics and there are some spare wings, too. I don't own a single "brand name" kit. All my planes are scratch build. I just really like to tinker. I do have my Trex 500 and I greatly enjoyed the build on that. I'm super stoked about getting and building a 600 (dunno when, but i'm stoked, lol). I also have that monstrosity of a plane with a 9.5 foot fuselage and 20 foot main wing. Yep...I love building them!

However, I love flying them very much, too. It's just a lot of fun and very rewarding to see these scratch built planes come to life and take to the skies. Then there is my Trex 500. Now that I have the tail issues sorted out (whew!!!) and I have spent hours and hours on the simulator, I'm definitely more confident to get my 500 in the air more often. Still working on the gyro settings then I'll get back to orientation drills and then........FLIGHT...YAY!!!

So....yes...I definitely enjoy "the build"!!!

 

[svan3001]

It must be a "Sam" thing about figuring how to build or modify, I enjoy the challenge. Sam

 

[murankar]

Yes like tony I like to build. I also like that first hover right after it is assembled.

When I got my first kit I felt kind of cheated (exi). It was built and needed only to be thread locked. Not much of a challenge.

Then I got my second kit. This thing was a complete build ground up. I was so excited to build this that in would build during my lunch break. In the end I never finished the videos.

At the same time I enjoy flying. I can't afford a new kit every month, so I also enjoy flying. I get almost the same rush when I get three flights crash free. This also is probably the reason I have not progressed. I do fear that crash because I know it will be a long time till I see air again.

 

[Slobberdog]

I do fear that crash because I know it will be a long time till I see air again.

Here Here

 

[Lee]

I think the reason we all started this hobby with 5+ helis or planes, is not because we wanted or needed more, it was just because we loved building them. In my first month in the hobby i ended up with 7 helicopters Then i slowly whittled them down to 3 and my Quad.
I time i hated building was when i had a vibe issue on a kit that took me 5 months to figure out. But it was satisfying when i did.

 

[pvolcko]

I do love building them. I love the mechanics and physics of how helicopters work. I even enjoy repairing them, unless it was a stupid mistake or I just got it back together and working right.

But, surprisingly, I do find that I enjoy flying them even more. I say surprisingly because I went into this being a builder. I come from an engineering background and have been, since a very young age, into designing and/or building complicated things as best I can. I didn't imagine I'd actually enjoy the flying part as much as I do, especially now that I've joined a club with a decent flying space and a bunch of other heli pilots. Learning the maneuvers, honing flight skills... learning the instrument, not just constructing it.

I'll probably always be a better builder and repairer than I will be a pilot of these things, but I'm thankful and pleasantly surprised that I have both sides of the hobby to enjoy as much as I do.

 

[idon'tknow!]

I'M A BUILDER!!!!! I love to make things a ton, sadly I haven't built much since my 500, so I'm growing very weary for the want to build, hoping to start a new project soon... but can't know for sure. I also love flying but, i understand it as A, the call of full scale, and B the love of seeing my work fly.... But they both end with the same chief goal (as does most of our activity's) it makes us happy.

 

[xokia]

I prefer flying I like things that are challenging and not easy to learn. Seems like with flying there is always something new to learn. Or at least I have not mastered it yet. The building part not so much.

 

[Graham Lawrie]

As an Engineer, the build for me as it is learning a new skill, taking pride in getting it right, the frustration of getting it too work, far out weighs the flying Although the adrenaline rush of seeing your hard work come to fruition is incredible Both for me go hand in hand When I can go inverted, tick tocks, backward circles, piros, etc, I dare say flying will take over

But the most important has been meeting like minded individuals who have shared their knowledge and experiences..................priceless!!

 

[xokia]

As an Engineer,

Mechanical?

For me the build is easy. Put bolt A in hole B repeat........ it gets repetative I can say that it is fun building it I just have a lot more fun flying probably because its something I cant master yet and I just get tired of working on things with all my other hobbies. It seems I'm always turning a wrench on something. When I started this hobby I was pleasently surprised to see all the engineer types also involved. It can be a plus and a minus not all of us have the rosiest personalities haha. But after working with engineers a while you kinda figure out how to cope

 

[Tony]

Speaking of building, back to the grind...

 

[yardner]

Karubah, stated it just perfectly for me. +++ 1

Build