Starting with the Hobby...(FOR BEGINNERS)

Ok. let’s get right into it…

First things first. If this is your first electric radio controlled plane, there are some time honored factors to consider.

1. Wind – You may be thinking that this is an obvious one. Why would I fly in wind? The question really is, how much wind is safe for an electric rc airplane? Remember, we are dealing with smaller aircraft that can only handle a Maximum of 5mph winds (That is THE MAX).

2. Orientation – This is so often overlooked by every beginner and takes some time to get used to. Your perception of up and down and left and right can easily be impaired when your plane is up in the air. Instead of practicing in the air, try this technique. Get a cheap rc car that has throttle and steering controls. Steer the car in the same pattern that you will fly in (a U shape is traditional). Remember, the steering will be reversed when the car is coming at you, this is where you need to become proficient.

3. Speed - It is imperative that you learn to control your speed. A common beginner mistake is to keep the throttle at full speed and forget to back down once the plane is in the air. Your plane will fly fine even with less than half throttle input from your transmitter. When landing, remember that you are going to be using even less power. Almost idling the motor will be enough to land.

4. Altitude - Most beginners believe that they need to keep their electric radio controlled plane low so that they can see it better. This is exactly what not to do. Most crashes happen because there is no room to make corrections. A good rule of thumb is to be at about 100 feet.

5. Over Control - Every beginner will do this, it just is part of learning how to “feel” the controls on the transmitter. Remember, you want to use slow movements to control your electric planes movements. It will take some getting used to, but you will get it, just be patient.

6. Preflight Check - What is this you may be wondering? It is an essential step. Follow it and you will always eliminate those forgetful steps (like forgetting to make sure your battery is charged fully). Make sure your plane is ready for the air on the ground, not in the air when it is too late.

If you are a beginner you will be looking at a LOT of choices for your first plane. In fact, because electric rc planes have become so popular, there are more choices than you can shake a stick at.

Let’s narrow it down really fast.

1. Get an rc electric plane that has a high wing.

Forget about buying a flashy low wing sporty electric radio controlled plane. You will not be able to control it, and it will not be forgiving at all. Do yourself a favor and get a high wing electric for your first model.

2. For the least amount of headaches, start with an RTF (ready to fly).

This RTF package does always inclued the following things. If you want to build you plane and start an ARF plane, this is also what you are going to need.

• Receiver – This device responds to the input from your transmitter. For example, if you push a control stick on your transmitter, the receiver picks up this signal, and relays the “command” to the servo that corresponds to the transmitter’s control stick movement.

• Electronic Speed Control (ESC) – It regulates the speed of the
  electric rc motor by regulating the power to the motor to achieve the desired speed of your electric radio controlled plane (which is relayed from your transmitters throttle stick movements). The ESC also has two other functions- it has two circuits. The first is the LVC (low voltage cutoff) which will cut power to your electric motor and reserve the remaining power for the receiver and servos (so that you can still land your rc airplane). The other function of the ESC is the BEC (the battery elimination circuit supplies power to the receiver and the servos, thus eliminating the need for a separate battery.)

• Servos – Micro Size. These devices are what move the control surfaces of your rudder, elevator and ailerons (if included). They are connected to the receiver and “mimic” the movement of your transmitters control sticks.

• Battery – usually comes with a Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMh) 6-cell, 7.2 Volt battery pack. It is fine for starting out, but you will soon find that you need more power and run time.

Note: Buy an extra battery, so when the first one is done you can keep flying.

3. Space…you need to consider how much space you will be flying in.

• Consider this… If you only have access to a local park, then you need to buy a rc plane that can be flown in that size space.

• Here is a quick break-down of what you can fly and not fly based on your safe flying area. (These figures are estimates and are appropriate for a beginner, but you should always fly in the biggest open area you can find, with no people nearby of course)…

• If your flying field (or park) is about the size of 1 football field, (200 x 200 feet) you will need to stick to small Park Flyers. These are lightweight planes that cannot be flown in any wind, and fly very slowly…just the thing for a beginner.

• If you have a bigger open space, say 600 x 600 feet (the size of 4 or 5 football fields), you can fly bigger and faster electric Park Flyers. These will typically be two pounds or less and fly slower than 40 mph. Usually they will use a Speed 400 or 480 electric brushed motors. You can fly with less throttle (1/2) and this will allow you more time to get used to the airplane.

Any bigger size flying area and you will be fine with whatever size plane you want to try. If you cannot find a place to fly, look up flying clubs in your area, or ask a farmer or rancher if you can fly in one of their pastures. There is always an option if you just look around.

4. Weight. With Electric Radio Controlled Planes, weight will always be a factor. Of course the technology is getting better and lighter batteries are being made that hold more charge and can allow you to fly for longer periods of time. However, when you really get into flying rc planes that are powered by an electric motor, weight will always be a greater factor to consider.

Well, that is a lot of information and I hope it will help you make an informed decision towards buying your first electric plane. The goal of this article was to get you familiar with the essentials so that you could buy a RTF or ARF (I recommend a RTF to keep costs down) using this as a guide to fit your needs.

Hope you enjoyed it and thanks for taking your time on reading this...

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