Joining a new hobby is both a daunting task yet it is also a thing of joy and excitement. This website covers most of the exciting things about our hobby, so let's look at one of the more "Daunting" aspects of it......The cost!

Let's categorize the costs into the following areas:

Initial cost of equipment
Administration, fees and dues
Operational costs

The initial cost of equipment (approx $350 - $475)

This means the plane, radio, engine and some basic ground equipment. You will need a trainer plane that is designed to be stable and slow - an ideal platform to learn on. You can buy these virtually Ready To Fly (RTF) that have the engine and radio installed. Just charge up the batteries and come to the airfield. These RTF trainers will cost about $270 - $320. They are a very good deal. One such RTF trainer is the "Alpha Trainer" It comes in two sizes. The larger one is recommended because bigger planes are easier to fly. It does cost a bit more.

You might want to do some assembly, in which case you could buy an Almost Ready to Fly (ARF). They require about 20 hours of assembly/gluing time but usually don't require any cutting. These cost as low as $60 (Tower Trainer) up to about $125. You then have to buy an engine. Talk to you instructor about this. But you can get an excellent 2 stroke engine for around $100 or less. You will also need a radio. It is very important to talk to your instructor about this too. A 4 channel radio will be about $150.

Or you could buy a kit and completely build your first plane. Kits range from about $60 and up. We wouldn't recommend this approach for two reasons. One, you probably want to get out and fly rather than work for several weeks on building a kit. Two, if you are inexpereinced, you could build a plane that is not straight and true and it will be a poor platform to learn on.

Then you have to get some basic ground equipment such as a battery, glow starter, fuel, starter, etc. You instructor will show you all these and how to use them. Approx cost $75

Administration, fees and dues (Adult $133 initial, $83 per year after. Junior $7 per year)

You will have to join the club and join the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA) The fees are dependant on if you are aged 18 or less. As a member of the AMA you will have $2,500,000 of third party liability insurance when you are flying at an AMA chartered clube field.

AMA dues Adult $58 per year, Junior $1 (yes ONE dollar) per year. (If you want the monthly magazine and Junior member's fee goes up to $13 per year. It is worth it.

Club fees Adult $50 one time plus $25 dues per year, then just $25 per year thereafter. A Junior is $6 per year - no initiation fee

Operational Costs: (Variable)

These can be as low as you like. You will need a supply of Glow Fuel at about $15 per gallon and if you fly a trainer, a gallon will last quite a long time. The other recurring cost is maintenance and repair. That cost depends on how you fly and how you look after the plane and equipment.

Summary:

So to get into this hobby, the approximate costs are:-

Adult $480 to $600
Junior $360 to $480.

Don't be deterred. Think of the cost of other hobbies such as mountain biking, photograph, skiing, sailing, etc. All have a fairly high initial cost. So get down to the field and start talking with an instructor and let's get you "Up in the Air". You won't regret it.