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How to Make Your RC Airplane Go Slower

The speed of an RC airplane can be intimidating to a new pilot. Slower-flying planes are best for new pilots because the lower speed allows more time to react to events in the air. One might be tempted to add weight to a plane to slow it down and make it more forgiving in flight, however this is a bad idea because weight will affect the plane's wing loading. A trainer-style plane is designed to have a low wing load so it will glide well, which adding weight would change. It is better to alter the thrust generated by the engine to slow down your RC airplane.

Things You'll Need

Assorted props
Saw
Sandpaper
Balsa wood or foam
Prop balancer
Amperage meter

Instructions

- 1
  Remove about 1 inch from each side of the prop. This technique leaves the twist or pitch of the prop intact but effectively makes it take a smaller "bite" of air. This is different then using a smaller prop because a smaller prop will have less area of pitch and will reduce thrust too much. This technique is most commonly used on nitro motors.
- 2
  Select a different prop. Props are sized by diameter times pitch, e.g. 8x3, which is 8 inches in diameter by 3 degrees of pitch. Using a larger prop with less pitch can effectively reduce an airplane's airspeed. Be careful not to exceed your electronics amperage draw as that can damage the motor, speed control and batteries.
- 3
  Select a fuel with lower nitromethane content. Fuel can be purchased with as little as 5 percent and as much as 33 percent nitromethane. A higher percentage will give the engine stronger performance, while a lower percentage will reduce the power without damaging the engine. Don't run a nitro engine with a rich mixture to reduce power---the rich setting will damage the engine over time. Reducing the nitromethane content is a better solution.
- 4
  Change the wing to an undercambered airfoil. An undercambered airfoil has a classic airfoil shape except without the flat bottom. This leaves a concave-shaped wing. The undercamber airfoil creates a lot of lift and reduces the airspeed significantly.

Aviation