RC Airplane Beginners - 10 Hot Tips

by Alec Eiffel

10 Hot Tips for RC Airplane Beginners

So you are interested in trying out RC airplanes as a hobby, only you don't know the first thing about them? Where to start, what to do, how to learn, where to buy, etc? Well hold on, because I am going to give you 10 Hot Tips for RC Airplane Beginners that will save you alot of time, effort AND money!

I have been flying remote control airplanes for a number of years now and have "learnt the hard way" on many occasions. Let me save you some of the hassles and give you some great tips up front!

1. Visit a Club Field - Best place to learn more about this hobby and to get you started is to visit your local flying field. Aeromodellers are friendly folk, always willing to help beginners. You will find someone there to teach you to fly for no cost. Some clubs even have a model plane they use to allow beginners to try out. For your closest airfield, ask at your local hobby store.
2. Get Yourself an RC Flight Simulator - You can buy these on-line or in store and are great to teach you some of the basics like orientation and stick inputs. Just see how many times you crash before you can take off and land on these things. If that were you at the airfield, with your shiny new trainer - it would have ended in tears! I learned to fly on my flight sim, and got my bronze wings after just 2 lessons at the airfield. Realflight G3.5 & Aerofly Pro Deluxe in my opinion are a beginner's best choice.
3. Gas or Electric? - RC airplanes can be powered by both, so it's up to you to decide which you would like to try out. Gas can be messy and noisy, but is relatively cheap. Electric is clean, quiet and often more expensive than Gas. Check in at the club and see who's flying what and ask some questions to help you with your decision. P.S. I much prefer gas engines.. I love the sound and smell of them.. more like the real thing!
4. Don't Buy Your Gear Secondhand - You could be buying someone else's problems! Buy from a reputable store - online is great. Can find some great bargains on-line and they deliver!
5. For your First Plane, Buy a Trainer! - A trainer is an easy to fly, easy to see in the air, very stable and CHEAP aircraft. Don't buy a sports model as your first plane, you WILL put it into the ground.
6. Don't Over-Power Your Model - For a trainer you would power it with a .40 - .46 engine - cheap and efficient on fuel. If you put a .60 or larger in the plane it might be a bit too much for you to handle and you're likely to crash it.
7. Safety First! - RC airplanes are not toys and have a VERY dangerous spinning thing up from called a propeller. Put your finger into it at idle and it WILL cut you. Make the same mistake at full throttle and you WILL lose one or more fingers, it's that simple. Only adjust engine from behind and never stand in front of or inline with a spinning prop.
8. Get an Instructor to Teach You - You will learn MUCH more quickly this way. Most Clubs don't allow new flyers to fly without one. A "buddy box" can be used to connect your transmitter to your instructor's which will allow him to take control of the plan if it looks like you are going to crash!
9. Set Up Your Flight Box Well - A flight box is used to carry all of a modellers accessories and equipment, as needed at the flying field. Do yourself a favour and equip yourself well. You want to make sure you have an electric starter, spare glow-plugs, some spare screws, fibreglass tape, CA and 5-min epoxy glues and tools. You want to make sure you have all you need to fly, and the ability to carry out field repairs to get you back in the air so that a mishap does not end your flying day.
10. Have Patience, Grasshopper - It will take you time to learn and to become skilled at flying RC airplanes, so be patient and don't be put of by any mishaps - it's all part of the hobby. Spend lots of time on the RC flight sim, and getting lessons from an instructor at the field. Don't try anything too fancy too soon, there'll be plenty of time for that once you have your bronze wings!