In the overall sense, all other things being equal, it is the lost models that hurts the worst. Because a lost model means zero things to salvage, no nose cone, no chute, no reloadable casings (if applicable), and so forth.
Although this is void when it involves a contest model that I would like to see keep going and going, sometimes it is a very GOOD feeling to watch a model flying off in a nice big thermal (if that flight does not have to be returned).
Now, a given specific model it could be worse if it was something like a crash, if it was some new model being tested out. Like some of my shuttle boilerplate test flights that went unstable or had some other disasters arise from design issues, requiring some or a lot of going back to the drawing board.
Or, the frustration of making a big mistake, like having an R/C Rocket Glider crash because the on-off switch was in the off position.
But even with those disasters..... there were some parts to salvage (a 1/72 orbiter I built in 1984 was involved with several boilerplate crashes. But it kept on flying thru various ET/SRB boilerplate upgrades in the on-off-on-off cycles of the shuttle model project - finally being perfected in 1998).
I have had at least four R/C Rocket Gliders become lost, one due to the power going out in the middle of the glide, and just flying away free-flight in a thermal. The other three, on windy days and/or spotty skies when the models got away from me and out of sight. I had a close call with my Sunguidance rocket once at NARAM-47. it landed 39 feet up in a tree, almost unrecoverable. How do I know it was exactly 39 feet up a tree? Because Launch Crue had a 40-foot tall retrieval pole which had one foot to spare to reach it .....
- George Gassaway
