Getting Started with Radio Controlled Planes

If you've never flown a radio controlled plane before, you might be a bit overwhelmed at first. Luckily, there is a new generation of model airplanes that are slow, easy to assemble, and even easier to fly. However, please realize that learning to control a model airplane is not as easy as learning to control a radio controlled car.

When picking out your first plane, again I recommend a used one. This is for the simple reason that you're going to crash it at least a few times. Everyone does when they are first starting, so why waste money buying a fancy plane only to wreck it?

If you do not want to buy a used plane, then avoid please avoid planes that have a lot of visual appeal. Although these planes look good, they are often very difficult to fly, especially if you have no previous experience with them.. Below is a list of what to consider when buying a radio controlled airplane.

1. Repair - How easy will this plane be to repair? As already stated YOU WILL CRASH, maybe not severely but along the way something will have to give.
Look for a plane that has very few parts to assemble. Also I recommend choosing a plane made from either foam or wood since any breaks or cracks in these can be fixed simply by gluing the parts back together. Now, your probably thinking that plastic is much stronger and won't break as easily. Yes, in most cases this is true. However, when it does break....it is not as easy to fix as wood or foam. Keep it simple and save the plastic for your second plane. The final thing is to buy a plane that has extra parts readily available. In some cases the planes even come with spare parts in the box, but others you might have to order.

2. Control
A) Stability - A key factor in how easy a plane is to fly is how much stability it has. In this case, the more the easier it will be to control. Dihedrals offer the most stability. This means their wings are sloped slightly upwards about 4-6 degrees. Also, a longer tail section will make a plane easier to fly. I'm not going to get into the reasons why this is true, so just trust me. Modern airliners are a perfect example of a stable plane, so while looking think about them...not fighter planes.

B) Setup - For your first plane do yourself a favor and buy a rudimentary control setup. This means it only allows for a small amount of surface deflection. There is no need to have the full elevator, throttle, and rudder combination when first learning. Again, save this for your second plane.

Also, when first starting out many people use a trainer. You can find someone to teach you how to fly at just about any rc club. If you do not want to work one on one with a trainer then another good tool to use are flight simulators. Both of these will ease the transition to flying instead of driving.