RC Airplanes for Beginners

Airplane Type

• Two general types of airplanes are available for the remote control hobbyist, powered or sailplanes. A powered airplane is one that relies on an engine for flight. These aircraft perform much as their real life counterparts do, and even beginner models will require a bit of skill to get them both safely up into the air and returned to the ground in one piece. Choose a powered aircraft if you want the full experience of take-off, flight and landing, with the probable dangers to your airplane should something go wrong.
  Choose a sailplane for a less challenging beginning experience, which tends to be a bit easier to handle. While some may have small engines to assist in takeoff, all sailplanes rely on the wind to remain aloft and to perform maneuvers. Take-off and landing is easier with a sailplane than with powered RC aircraft, with take-offs usually done by flinging the airplane into the air either by hand or assisted with a large rubber band launcher.
  For best results, regardless of airplane type, choose a trainer model as your first airplane. A trainer model typically has simpler flight characteristics than a realistic scale model or a sport flyer, and they tend to be a bit more durable to handle beginner mistakes that can destroy more advanced models.

Choosing an Airplane

• Keep in mind a few considerations when looking for your first airplane. As a beginner you're likely to cause a bit of damage while learning the finer points of flying. As such, your first plane should be chosen with an eye toward repairability. Look for a plane that has few parts that are easily replaced. Wood and foam based aircraft are generally easier to repair than plastic models.
  You'll also want to make sure the parts for your model are easily obtained, either from a local source such as a hobby shop, or from a reliable mail-order company with a good stock available. Look into buying everything you need at once, including the remote control, as having it all together in a single transaction makes sure you'll have no incompatibility problems later on, and may net you a price discount.

Training

• It's always a good idea to put in a little training time before your first flight. A number of remote control flight simulators on the market will allow you to learn the fundamentals of flying before you take off. You can use RealFlight G4.5 to connect a remote control to a PC and practice with a simulated RC airplane, all without the expensive damage that learning on the field might involve. While RealFlight retails in 2009 for $199.98, other flight simulators are available on the market for less that can help you in learning the basics of flight.
  In addition to a good flight simulator you can seek out experienced flyers for buying advice as well as a few lessons. Look for local RC airplane clubs whose membership will likely include a few old hands at the remote who would be more than willing to provide help free of charge.