RC Planes - The Beginners' Guide

First Model

Some people consider a glider as the obvious choice for the first model. Although a glider normally flies slower and is supposed to be more forgiving, I think that's just a matter of taste. Being a skilled glider pilot doesn't necessarily mean being also a skilled powered aircraft pilot and vice-versa.

Assuming that a powered model was chosen, the beginner is advised to start with a so-called trainer. This type is usually a high wing aircraft model with nearly flat bottom airfoil that produces high lift, permitting slow landing speeds without stalling. It also has some dihedral angle to give a good lateral stability.

However, a flat bottom high wing with dihedral is more sensitive to crosswind gusts, so the first flights should be done during calm weather.

A beginner should avoid wings with too sharp leading edges, as it will worsen the stall characteristics.

A well-rounded leading edge is therefore preferable, as it better conveys the airflow onto the upper wing surface allowing higher angle of attack at low speed.

5 Beginner Tips for RC Flying

A lot of very useful information inside

Top 10 DIY Planes of 2016

Just awesome!

How to Get Started Flying RC Airplanes

For thousands of years man has dreamed of flight. Nothing has amazed people as much as flying machines have in the past century and there is still more to come. What is even more amazing though, is the progress in personal flight toys. You can fly everything from a miniature helicopter, to a one 20th scale Cessna, which you can build at home yourself.

The more amazing thing about today's RC airplanes is the fact that anyone can fly them, and some airplanes are very easy to fly. For example, I bought a $50 Hobby Zone airplane and the controller had two controls, one that could steer the plane left or right and then the second was throttle (speed) control. How can you get any simpler then that!

As easy as it can be, it still can be difficult for beginners to get started in this hobby. Since I now have the knowledge that every beginner should know, since I was a beginner once, I wanted to share it with other people so everyone can enjoy the RC airplane hobby.

Servos - The Beginners' RC Planes Guide

Servos are the end units in a radio control chain. They are used to move the aircraft's control surfaces, the motor throttle and to actuate other devices such as retractable landing gears. A servo consists basically in a motor, gearbox, feedback potentiometer and an electronic board inside a plastic case. Outside are the servo arm and the servo cable and plug.

The servo arm is often a plastic piece with holes on it for attaching push rods or other mechanical linkages.

There are linear and rotary servos, but the most widespread today are the rotary servos whose arm rotates about 45 degrees left and right from its centre point.

The picture on right shows some servo hardware, such as mounting screws, rubber pads, and different sorts of servo arms.

How to build and fly an RC plane

Some very useful information here

DIY Beginner RC Plane

Great tutorial.