Sometimes the hobby can be frustrating.

The title of the post says it all. Sometimes, this hobby can be downright disheartening. The weather might not be cooperating. No one wants to fly, or you have obligations that prevents you from meeting up with the gang. Your financial obligations have ended your plans to replace or repair a broken model...let alone buy a shiny new one. The model you brought to the field inexplicably...craters. One might be inclined to say, hey- this is supposed to be fun, not stressful! Done. The stuff goes into the back of the garage until...

Guess what folks, this hobby is what it is- just like anything else in life. At the risk of sounding cliched, the disappointments make the joy that much better. 

My B-26 was dusted off after a couple years of hanging around, checked out on the workbench, and expected to rock and roll on the field. Nope. One of the props lost a blade on takeoff, causing an instant tumble on the runway. The landing gear were bent, but otherwise the plane was in decent shape.

The weather today was better than it had been in days- so great expectations were in place for flying. Broken prop...bent gear? Naw...that plane was going to fly!

I straightened the gear and added a new prop. A second trip to the flying field. A fresh battery. Flight check. Takeoff! 

Not bad. I achieved flight. Six minutes later the gear came down...lined up...flaps down...slow descent...touchdown! GREASED. Wait. 

Plastic bits flew into the air. One prop was spinning while the other, well, was swinging back-and-forth. Again. Broken.

So what happened? I bought a batch of cheap props years ago, and the plastic was frankly, cheap. The props barely clear the ground in normal circumstances, and a touch to grass or soil snapped off the prop blades. Stuff happens. I'll research better props, learn something new, and give it another try. No harm, no foul. Moving on to example two...

This awesome Mustang model flies...well, awesome. Bet you would never guess that the foam developed a fatigue that led to the nose breaking off. Trash? Nope. A little hot glue and my fellow club member had a great flying model. He could have tossed it into a trash bin, or written a series of rants on the internet, but instead he repaired it and, wow, it flies great! Check out the photo-

Remember, stuff happens. Don't let a bad day at the field ruin your hobby. Repairing your model can be a rewarding experience, and there are plenty of flying days in the year. It's all part of the experience. Hobbies (should) have no consequences.* Learn to appreciate the unexpected, the bumps, breaks, and eventual triumphs!

* No consequences means that you aren't spending too much of your budget on your hobby. If you are investing so much on your models that each flight is a stress-inducing financial risk, you need to re-evaluate your priorities!