RC Airplanes: Trainers, Styles, and More

Remote control airplanes account for a large portion of the RC vehicle market and they come in a large variety of styles with their own distinct characteristics and abilities. Each style is built and designed for a specific purpose such as speed, maneuverability, or show. The primary styles of RC airplanes are: trainers, park flyers, racing airplanes, and acrobatic airplanes.

Trainers are designed for beginners and novices and fly at a slower rate of speed which gives the controller more time to react to changes in the wind. A good trainer style airplane will have these basic characteristics: a tricycle landing gear, low center of gravity, and wings that are angled and flat bottomed. Atricycle landing gear means that the RC airplane has 3 fixed wheels which allows for more directional control when taking off and landing then those with the tail dragger style landing gear.A low center of gravity means that the wings are located above the fuselage which helps to keep the plane flying some smoothly. When the wings are located below the fuselage then the center of gravity is high on the airplane and gravity is always trying to make the plane fly upside down. The wings of the RC airplane make up a large portion of its body and should have a dihedral angle which forces the airplane to self-correct into a straight and level flight path if the controls are released during flight. The wings should also be flat bottom which causes the air traveling over the wing to go at a slower pace than the air flowing below the wing allowing the airplane to sustain flight at a slower speed.

Pulsejet Engines - The Beginners' RC Planes Guide

Aircraft model builders have always strived to emulate the full-sized aircraft, as well as their propulsion systems. The word "pulse" engine may be tracked back to around 1880 - 1890 and it is claimed that a Frenchman has build a pulsejet engine in the beginning of 1900 however, it's unknown whether he was successful.

The Germans used this type of engine during the W.W.II to power the well-known V-1 flying bomb. This power concept was eventually proven to be relatively inefficient, terribly noisy and also having a very short lifetime.

The valves on the V-1 engine lasted no longer than 30 minutes continuous use. The pulsejet was therefore abandoned as a full-size aircraft propulsion system. Nevertheless, it has been used on model aircraft by some enthusiasts until now.

A model pulsjet engine is basically made of a tube consisting of a head with a venturi shaped air-intake, a diffuser, a combustion chamber, reed valve plates, a spark plug and an exhaust.

In order to start the engine, a compressed air from an external pump or air bottle is fed to the angled pipe located near the diffuser while a pulsed high voltage supply is applied to the sparkplug. The air/fuel mixture is pushed through the valve into the combustion chamber and ignited, which causes a noisy explosion that closes the valve plates while the expanding gasses escape trough the exhaust. This produces a low pressure inside the combustion chamber that opens the valves and new air/fuel mixture enters the chamber again, which is ignited by the residual heat and gasses from the previous explosion.

The high temperature developed keeps the motor running without the spark plug and the compressed air, which are only needed at the start moment. Some types have no sparkplug attached. The initial ignition is then obtained by introducing external sparking wires through the exhaust. The pipe has an acoustic resonant frequency depending on its length, which must be close to the valves' working frequency in order to get a reliable operation.

The extreme heat developed means that this engine needs a lot of air cooling and cannot stand static running on a test-bench for longer period than about 10 seconds. It must also be mounted outside the model to prevent burning damage to the structure.

Due to the extreme noise and the high temperature involved, this engine is absolutely not recommended for beginners and should not be used near residential areas.

Gas Turbines - The Beginners' RC Planes Guide

Another well-known propulsion system is the gas turbine or jet engine. There are several types of gas turbine engines, but the simplest ones are the so-called turbojets.

Getting Started Flying Radio Controlled Model Airplanes

The popularity of radio controlled model airplanes has exploded in recent years. You can find RC model airplanes for sale in most toy and sporting goods stores. There is no shortage of complete packages on the market that sell for less than $50, though I do not necessarily recommend these bottom drawer systems.

The process for learning to fly model helicopters properly is very similar to what I describe here, but I will be focusing on airplanes.

Learning to fly RC is not hard, but there are right ways to do it and wrong ways to do it. Too many times I have seen a young man by himself at a local park trying to teach himself how to fly. That is the wrong way. It quickly leads to crashed airplanes and frustration. A much better approach is the one I outline here.

Local Hobby Store

Before you do anything else, find yourself a local hobby store. They specialize in helping out beginners such as yourself. They don't bite, and they will respect your budget by not steering you to equipment you cannot afford. Their prices are very competitive, and the advice is well worth any small price premium. Just make sure you are speaking with somebody that knows about model airplanes. Hobby stores carry products for many different hobbies such as RC cars and model rockets. If they have a reasonable selection of model airplanes in stock, there is guaranteed to be somebody on staff that understands them.

RC Planes for Beginners: Launching & Landing

Great tutorial, really enjoyed it.

Remote Control Airplanes - The Fun of Flying Them

Each one of us still has that part which enjoys being a kid once in a while. Men in general are still boys when it comes to their toys and gadgets. It becomes their passion to collect and sometimes to even spend a few minutes a day looking at or just holding their most prized possessions. Some are into basketball cards, others are fond of collecting action figures and there are some who spend most of their money in electronic toy gadgets such as remote control airplanes.

It is not surprising that many people nowadays have joined the craze of flying their own remote control airplanes just because it becomes a stress reliever after their hard day’s work not to mention bringing them back to the days when they were just simply boys having fun. You can’t simply miss out the fun of flying even if you are not within the aircraft.

This type of sports has come into existence simply because of the advancement in technology that provided a whole new level to games and sports equipments. Although there are many other gadgets today that can be controlled like cars and robots, these are not given much attention especially by adults because of the scope of maneuvering that is too limited and too basic too handle.

Remote Control Airplane Flying Thoughts For Beginners

Is your youngster all excited in anticipation of flying that first remote control airplane? Are you apprehensive at the thought of that disappointed look on his face after that plane crashes to the ground? Or are you committed to helping him become an experienced and skilled RC pilot?

Before you buy that aircraft take a look at the different model choices you have, and be sure that first purchase is designed for training, durability, and easy flying. You'll give a happier flying experience if the plane doesn't suffer too much damage in a crash, and the little one can put it back into the air in a short time.

Once you settle on the best model for those beginning flights you'll have a learning curve experience for successful flying operation. Here are a few considerations for preparing for, and focusing on, controlling your radio control in flight. You might find some of this knowledge handy in choosing the right model for you or your child also.

Before every flight, professional pilots go through a pre-flight checklist. I'm sure you understand that action is to make sure the plane is ready for flight, and prepare for the conditions they'll encounter on the scheduled flight plan.

Use the operator's manual for your chosen model to create your own checklist. Also, some manufacturers provide flight-training manuals for beginners. Check their website for a downloadable issue. Join a local radio control flight club, their members offer plentiful advise for enjoying the RC flying hobby.