Beginners Radio Control Airplanes

You’ve probably seen those happy people flying radio control airplanes and performing awesome stunts and wondered how to get started but a word of caution, it is not in your best interest to just go leaping in to the hobby and spending your hard earned cash on the most impressive and advanced model in the shop.

Performing those stunts and even just flying your aircraft comfortably and confidently takes practice and plenty of it. You would probably be better served with a cheaper smaller model to start with so you can start to understand how much concentration needs to go into controlling your airplane, then you can think about moving on to more complicated models.

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. So what is this training model? A high-wing airplane is one with the wing on top of the fuselage, a build which allows for slower and gentler flights and which tends to be more forgiving of errors, making them great for new RC pilots.

High-wing training airplanes are a good way of learning basic flying skills before moving on to low-wing type models which require considerable skill to fly safely. You can buy trainer airplanes in almost ready to fly kits, requiring a small amount of assembly to get going, or as ready to fly airplanes that just need their batteries charged.

Try to look for trainer airplanes that are specially built for durability and which can be repaired easily because as a novice you will have your share of sub-optimal landings (ahem!). Easily repairable construction means you can be back in the air quickly having hopefully learnt from your experience. Airplanes with tricycle style landing gear are easier to control on the ground than those with low tails (sometimes known as 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. Hobby store staff will be able to advise you further if you have any questions.

Getting some expert advice is a must. Try to 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 ready to get into a good hobby store and talk with the guys there. They are always eager to help you make the right choice and they really want to encourage newcomers into their world, the world of radio control airplanes.