Beginners Guide to Radio Controlled Airplanes

Radio controlled airplanes are a really cool, fun way to waste time. It’s a way to relax and chat with friends outside, spend time with the kids, and just generally a good excuse to get outside. Keep in mind, they’re a definitely a hobby, and I use to the word hobby to mean “lots of time, energy and work that will eventually end up in pieces on the ground”. But don’t let that dissuade you, R/C airplanes can be very rewarding and addictive. Where to start though? While over the years R/C airplanes have gotten easier and easier for the average Joe, you can’t really just pull them right out of a box and go flying. Here is a list of what to expect when you go shopping for the first time.

The Kit

There are two types of R/C airplane hobbiests: those who like to fly and those who like to build. A kit in its most basic form will literally be a box of balsa wood sticks and some blueprints. You’ll need work area that can remain undisturbed for long periods of time, and a vast repository of patience. For those that would prefer to get up in the air as soon as possible, there are kits that are almost completely built and covered. Depending on the manufacturer, these will be referred to as ARF’s (Almost Ready to Fly) or RTF’s (Ready to Fly). Regardless of the designation, there is still a bit of work involved in putting one of these kits together. I would highly recommend one of the nearly pre-made kits for a newcomer to the hobby. No sense in putting a lot of work into something that you’re going to smash into the ground. And trust me, you will smash it into the ground. Many of these kits will include the actual radio control that you’ll be holding and an engine. Kits that include engine and control have an upside and a downside. The upside is you’ll be getting these included components at a discounted price, but the downside is the lack of customization that you get by purchasing the components separately. If you’re starting out make you sure you get a kit marked as a “trainer”, these are specifically designed to be more stable in the air.

The Radio Control

Radio controls operate on a frequency specifically set aside for use in R/C vehicles. There are air frequencies for airplanes and ground frequencies for cars and boats. Radio controllers are usually refered to by the number of channels they have, each channel controlling a different servo on the airplane, which in turn controls a certain functions. A servo is basically a tiny electric motor, and the most basic R/C airplanes generally require four servos, therefor require a four-channel controller.

In a basic airplane, you’ll be controlling engine throttle, rudder, elevators and ailerons. More advanced kits may offer features like flaps or retractable landing gear, and will require a greater number of servos and channels to operate on. For said situations, there are a variety of six, or eight-channel controllers available. If you’re planning on sticking around in the hobby, it may behoove you to buy a controller with more channels. They are more expensive to start off with, but cheaper in the long run as you wont have to replace an old controller simply because it has too few channels.

Many controllers offer digital capabilities, which offer a more precise range of control, and a memory that will allow you store several different custom layouts for different planes. Of course, they cost more money.

R/C controllers have a range of about a quarter mile, which is further then most people will be able to see.

The Engine

There is an unbelievable variety of engine types available, ranging not only in size but in number of cylinders, and types of fuel use. The best route to go is with .40 sized airplane engines. In the hobby world, people will refer to the range of .40-.50 as forty-size. Forty-size engines are the most common, and have the widest range of kits available. Generally speaking, an airplane kit that uses a forty-size engine will have a wingspan between four and six feet.

Often, engines will be designated as “sport”, or something similar. This usually mean that through some engineering marvel the engine is capable of producing more power then another engine of the exact same size. As is to be expected, these “sport” engines are more expensive. However, they may be worth the money later on when the time comes to try out another airplane that requires more power.

The three things I’ve outlined above (kit, controller, and engine) are the three basic things to get started, but don’t run off and think that’s all you’ll need. The items vary from from kit to kit, but generally speaking you’ll need fuel, fuel line, fuel pump, cyanoacrylate (super glue), epoxy, engine starter, starter battery and a field box. Of course this list can grow. In fact, if you have the money to burn, you can never run out of accessories to buy. For the rest of us with a limited budget, you can usually get everything you need for around $450, either on-line or from a reasonably priced hobby shop. I recommend going to a hobby shop, simply so you can pick the brain of someone who has a lot more experience then you. R/C airplane enthusiasts are usually more then willing to talk about the hobby and recommend products to you.

I do want to reiterate, that you’ll be pile driving your airplane into the ground. The plus side of this, is that it’s usually just the kit itself thats destroyed. All the expensive stuff comes through intact (though occasional it doesn’t). Eventually, you’ll get to the point where you are only rarely destroying airplanes, and can experiment with stranger aircraft and wilder maneuvers. Have fun!