Beginners Radio Control Airplanes

So you’ve seen those radio control airplanes performing incredible stunts and wondered how to get into the radio control hobby but a word to the wise, you are probably not going to do yourself any favours by jumping in at the deep end and spending your hard earned cash on the best and fastest model you have heard about.

Flying a radio controlled airplane and performing aerobatic stunts takes some practice, sometimes lots of it. You may well be better served with a less complicated trainer airplane to start with so you can start to understand how much concentration needs to go into controlling your airplane, then you can consider moving up to the bigger league.

Buying and flying your first radio control airplane should be a good experience that encourages you into the hobby. A high-wing trainer airplane is often recommended for beginners learning to fly their first model. What is it? A high-wing airplane is one with the wing on top of the fuselage, a design that allows for slow and gentle flight characteristics and which tends to be more forgiving of errors, making them great for beginner pilots.

High-wing training airplanes are a fun way to develop your basic flying skills before moving on to low-wing type models which demand skill and experience to fly safely. You can buy trainer airplanes in an almost ready to fly kit, requiring a small amount of assembly to get going, or as fully assembled aircraft that just need their batteries charged.

Look for trainers built for durability and which can be easily repaired because as a beginner you will certainly have a share of ‘imperfect landings’. An easily repaired airplane means you are back in the skies in no time to try again. Trainers with tricycle landing gear tend to be easier to handle on the ground than those with the tail down (tail-draggers) so take that into consideration when making your purchase too.

Don’t worry too much about the power and electronics of RC for now. There are various motors, batteries and radio controllers available but your first airplane will have that side of things all matched up for you. The guys at the hobby store will explain all you want if you have any questions.

There is no substitute for expert advice. Visit a radio control flying area and check out the aircraft and pick a good time (between flights) to ask questions, though you’ll notice the RC hobbyists, like most other hobbyists, are more than happy to chat and answer questions from newbies. Then you’re probably ready to go to a good hobby store and talk with the guys there. They will be happy to help you make the right choice, it’s in their interest to encourage you and they really want to encourage newcomers into their world, the world of radio control airplanes.