Get Into Airplane Modeling

As someone interested in Ultralight Aviation I have always been amazed to learn how many different kinds of aircraft people's imagination can create. While the real airplanes and even the ultralights are quite expensive or require years of human work if you want to create one yourself, this is not the case with the airplane modeling.

by Josh Monza

If you want to experience, own or construct many kinds of aircraft, modeling is exactly for you. There are different ways to get involved into this exciting hobby. Consider some of these ideas:

Buying Model Airplane

The easiest way to jump into any hobby is first to buy a few of the ready airplanes and see how you enjoy them. There are thousands of stores online and offline where you can find an endless variety. The most reliable place is probably Amazon.

Buying airplane models is not expensive - typically the basic RC models start from $10 or $30 and simple free flight airplanes are much cheaper - $1 - $2. If you check at your local stores you can find even cheaper ones.

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If it's so simple, then why going further? What about the argument that doing things on your own is more fun?

Building Model Aircraft From Kits

Do you know what is the most popular way of buying ultralight and light sport aircraft? No, ultralight pilots don't buy so many airplanes neither build them from scratch. Most aviation enthusiasts buy airplane kits and build their airplanes themselves.

This is very valid for the model airplane hobbyists as well.

The kits or ARF (almost ready to fly) packs are cool for many reasons, especially if you are just starting and have tried only completed models so far:

There are thousands of models available
It's relatively easy to build from kit
It's still an exciting challenge
It's a great learning experience
If you are keen on building model airplanes, it's most recommended to start with a kit or ARF.

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Creating Model Aircrafts From Scratch

Beginner's Guide to Remote Control Airplanes Flight

Radio controlled aircraft modeling is one of the most exciting hobbies available. It involves many interests, disciplines, and skills. Some of these are aerodynamics, electronics, mechanics, drafting and design, composite material construction, and woodworking, and these are in the airplane alone. There are many other fields of interest in the hobby of aircraft modeling; far too many and too varied to try to list. Many people find that many new skills must be learned before they are ready to begin to learn to fly. The hobby is constantly changing as new technology is developed. A new modeler may become frustrated at times but certainly not bored.

To reduce the chance of frustration, a new modeler should become involved with other modelers in order to learn the necessary skills. This may involve simply visiting a flying site and becoming acquainted with experienced modelers or joining a club. These modelers are a source of knowledge and experience that can be invaluable to the new modeler when he begins to build his first aircraft and when he begins to learn to fly. An experienced modeler can act as an R/C flight instructor to teach a new person the skills required to fly the aircraft properly and to avoid the inevitable crash.

New modelers must realize that a radio controlled model aircraft is not a toy. It is a true aircraft in that it flies and operates by the same principles as a full scale aircraft with the difference being the size and weight. The average model will fly in a range of 20 to 60 MPH and weigh 5 1/2 to 6 pounds. The force of the model hitting an object can be devastating especially if it hits a person. Models must be controlled properly both for enjoyment and for safety. The skills required to accomplish this must be learned from an experienced modeler.

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Flying RC Planes – Essential Tips

Flying rc planes is a great hobby which will give you immense excitement and joy. Anyway, in case you are a beginner, well, you will have to take up this hobby seriously in order to master the art of RC model airplane flying.

a guest post by Roy M.

The simplest way to start is the 2 channel electric type RC model airplane. You need not be an experienced one to fly these ones as they are relatively easy and are available everywhere. The level of expertise will depend upon the amount of money you are willing to pump in and your own seriousness about it. If you are not bound by budgetary constraints then you can purchase a RC flight simulator although this is a luxury for flying simple RC model airplanes.

Flying model airplanes can be a lot of fun if you are aware of the following things. Weight and balance are very important for an airplane. So if you have a bought a Ready to Fly airplane and followed all the instructions correctly then the weight and the balance of the airplane should be ok. But it is also important to check the balance before flying a RC model airplane. Just remember that an incorrect balance will make it very difficult for you to control the airplane and it might just crash.

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Modelling the P51 Mustang

a guest post by Tony LeGrand

WW2 war-birds hold a fascination with most people that love the look of a great aircraft. During this era planes developed from slow flying bi-planes to sleek 400 mile per hour single wing fighters. There is nothing like a war to accelerate the development of aircraft and none more so than the period of the second world war. The Mustang stands as one of the pinnacle fighters of this era, being loved by all who have flown in them or had anything to do with this wonderful piece of history. So, I bought a plan from the internet (you can find some very good ones on Amazon or Ebay) and, I jumped at the opportunity to build it and do an evaluation and flight test on this ‘Cadillac of the skies’.

The plan I used for this amazing RC warbird is about 1:6th scale, with a wing span of 1.6m, (65inches), and a fuselage length of 1.4m. A good .60 2-stroke, or if you hate the scream of a two’eee, .80 to .90 4-stroke like the Magnum .91 I will be using, will do just fine. A warbird should sound as close to the real thing as possible, so a 4 stroke is just the ticket in my opinion.

Plastic Model Aircraft Kits Recycling

For those of us who have been building plastic model aircraft for a long time, the obvious question is, “What do I do with the older models I built in the past before I reached by current skill level?”  The usual answer is, “Throw them out or maybe give them to the kids”.  

This is what most of us did over the years, but about 20 years ago, when I was pruning out my model display cases of models that no longer met my standards, I decided to disassemble them and store them in plastic bags with the idea that they might become useful many years later.  Of course, most of us saved some of the components, such as wheels, engines, props, etc., but I came up with the thought “Why not rebuild the kit to modern standards?”

One major factor is the condition of the kit.  In years past, we didn’t have the excellent glues and solvents that we have today, so kits were relatively easy to break apart.  If we had used Tenax or Microweld then, it would be virtually impossible to break a kit apart without doing some very serious damage. But with the old tube glues, breakdown is relatively simple.

Another factor is the paint.  I’ve always used enamels, and enamels, even when airbrushed on, can be removed provided the proper method is used.  Fortunately, years ago, I heard from some local IPMS’ers that standard automotive brake fluid was an excellent emulsifier, and that it would remove paint from styrene plastic without hurting the plastic itself.  I tried it with mixed results, and the idea languished for a long time.  A few weeks ago, however, I decided to try it again, and see what I could do.  I had an old bottle of brake fluid in my workshop that I had bought at a yard sale for fifty cents, so I figured that I would see how the system worked. I don’t know how this would work on lacquers or acrylics, as I’ve never used these.