RC of today is a far cry from RC of the old days. It used to be model building times ten, both in time and cost, with the added bonus that your work may be totally destroyed.
The RC sold in stores today is mostly RTR (ready to run) and come with customer support and a wall full of parts to replace what breaks. It's great for the retailer, the prices are low, profit is high and they can sell parts and upgrades right off the rack with minimal expertise.
Then there are the drones that require nothing more than a credit card to fly. It really is amazing, but so accessible and easy it's more of an activity than a hobby.
I spent months learning to handle a 3 channel AC, destroying plane after plane. Then I added ailerons on a fourth channel and it was like starting over again. It wasn't until I bought a computerized transmitter with mixes and exponential steering that I even got close to control. I can't even imagine what the guys did years ago without the computer help and having to build the plane with stick and tissue. Not only did that delay learning since the slightest mishap would be devastating, if you weren't a good builder, the ship may not be airworthy to begin with.
All that said, when I did finally learn to fly, it was a great feeling. Sounds stupid, but I was beaming with pride.
Then, a few years later, I can walk into a shop and buy a drone that I can press a button and it will hover, another button and it will land exactly where it started from and take video the whole time. Undoubtedly, very very cool, but I guarantee I won't feel as good about it as I did with the planes. It'll be like any other tool on the bench.
