FAQ

Table of Contents

1. How do I get started flying RC ?
2. Should I build or ARF for my first airplane ?
3. Why a hobby store over mail order ?
4. Who is AMA ?
5. What is the cost ?
6. When a good time to start flying ?
7. Which RC airplane radio ?
8. Building or assembling your airplane ?
9. What temperature should I use to apply my covering?
10. An especially important issue for so-called “park flyers” and “backyard flyers”

How do I get started flying RC ?

Visit your local RC flying field and talk to the members This is the best way to meet other pilots and find an instructor. Then go to your local hobby store for advice and assistance from their experienced RC staff.  Buy and assemble your airplane, join AMA and your local RC flying club and work with an instructor.  Can not find a field? Ask at your local hobby shop. And the most important point - no matter what else, find an instructor! This is the one thing that may make the difference between a rewarding experience and endless frustration. RC pilots are friendly, and most will gladly teach you for free.  When you find a club, choose an instructor who is smooth in flying his/her plane and someone you get along with. Remember, the ones best at flying may not always be the best instructors.  

Should I start with powered flight, or with a glider? 
Depends on your preferences. Some prefer gliders; that's where many have started. The 2m (6 foot wingspan) class is a good size---large enough to be easily flown but small enough for easy transport. Beginner gliders are lighter, fly slower and are more acceptable to the non-flying community than powered planes---no noise or mess. Gliders are also cheaper (at least the trainers are) than powered planes.  Electric Flight is silent and clean and finds greater acceptance from neighbors etc. At the flying field, although some people feel that electrics are not robust or easy enough for beginners. There is a little more paraphernalia - you may need spare battery packs, but you can fly from smaller fields. Power (with engines that use a fuel) will let you fly longer, and your model doesn't need to be as light as with an electric (so it's likely to be easier to build); however, you may have to go to a field far from populated areas. Whatever you pick, stay away from those sleek fast scale jobs! They look nice and fly hard, and those are the last things you want for your first plane. Stick to the trainers - they may not look as glamorous, but they will make you a much better pilot. 

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Should I build or ARF for my first airplane ?

Should I start with plans and build my own plane from scratch, buy a kit plane with wood and plans included, or go with one of those everything included ready to fly planes?
There are a few good trainers that are ready to fly (or almost ready to fly, aka ARF). Older ARF planes were usually heavy and hard to repair. The new generation of ARF kits is all wood and better built, covered with Monokote or other plastic/fabric material and priced about the same as a kit with required accessories. The Ready to Fly (RTR) kits only take 1 hour to assemble (instead of 15 hours for a ARF) and include radio and engine  but are more expensive. The better kits have parts that are machine cut, the somewhat less expensive ones are die-cut. You'll probably have to so a little more work with a die-cut kit, mostly in separating parts and sanding them. 
ARFs vs. kits: this is a matter of opinion, but more people seem to think that kits are a better idea for beginners. Pro kits: you get valuable building experience and are able to do repairs. Moreover trainers are good planes to learn to build as well as to fly, and most of them are cheaper than most ARFs.  Pro ARFs: you can be flying sooner, and you have less emotional investment in the plane so when you crash you don't feel as bad. Many beginners start with an ARF and build the second airplane as they are learning to fly. However: regardless of what you chose, your chances of a painless
education are greatly improved if you have an instructor---both for building and for flying.
Remember, the plane you buy doesn't have to be good looking, it just has to teach you to fly! Many pilots after building a beautiful model are so afraid to crash that they never fly. Far better to have a crummy looking plane that you don't mind crashing again and again and learning to fly than to have a slick model that you can only mount on a stand! After you are proficient you'll have plenty of time to build good-looking planes. 
It seems to be the general consensus that there are enough decent kits around that building from scratch is not really worth the effort unless you are into design or obscure scale models.

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Why a hobby store over mail order ?

Experience RC staff with good working knowledge of their products. Knows what works and required with each product. They provide service and support not just a sale.

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Who is AMA ?

An organization well worth joining is the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA). They are the modelers' main voice where it matters---they liaison with the FCC, the FAA and Congress. It is an
affiliate of the National Aeronautic Association (NAA) and is the US aero modeling representative of the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI). Membership in the AMA also gets you $1,000,000 of liability insurance, without which most fields will not allow you to fly. You also need to be an AMA member to participate in contests. Besides, you also get a magazine, `Model Aviation' which is rather good in itself, and it keeps you informed about the state of the hobby. So JOIN AMA!!! You can write
to: Academy of Model Aeronautics, 5151 E. Memorial Drive, Muncie, IN 47302-9252. Membership is $48 per year for adults and $11 for a minor (and well worth it). Their phone number is (317) 287 1256. Your local hobby store also has applications. Visit the AMA WEB site at AMA .

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What is the cost ?

What kind of cost am I looking at for a solid training electric glider or powered plane, with all gear?
Glider: about $350 is in the ballpark. ---$145 for a 4-ch radio, $100 for a 2m glider, covering and other building supplies, and $100 for battery, charger and speed control. ARF Gliders---$150 + radio + supplies.
Powered ARF planes: about $400---$145 radio, $120 ARF plane, $80 engine, $55 field support (glow battery, fuel, pump, glow plugs, props, wrench, rubber bands) + supplies.
(By "supplies," I mean things like rulers, knives, glue, etc.)
Where can get the stuff from?
Your local Hobby Store. Mail order houses and catalogues may be cheaper, however try to call their  800 number for advice and assistance.

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When is a good time to start flying ?

It is not age but maturity and concentration level. At 11 my son lasted two weeks and went on to other activities. At 12 years old he started up again and is still building and flying as an adult. Many local flying club members started after they retired from work. They now have the time and funds to enjoy.

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Which RC airplane radio ?

Since a trainer needs only 2 or 3 channels, should I get one of the cheap radio systems? Don't bother with the cheap 2 or 3 channel sets---get a 4-ch system. The exception is the new HITEC 3 Channel for slow/park flyers and gliders. The 4-channel will come with NiCad rechargeable batteries and (usually) 3 servos; this is the most popular and most cost-effective kind of system. You can put the main pitch control (elevator) and the main turning control (in this case the rudder) on one stick, which is how most people (and thus most instructors) fly. The cheaper systems come with the controls on separate sticks and you will have tough time finding someone willing to teach you with that setup. They also use non-rechargeable cells, which can get very expensive, and sometimes have corrosion problems at the terminals. If you can afford it, a system that has a "buddy box" is a really good idea. This is an arrangement where the instructor's radio is hooked up to yours, and he just has to release a button on his radio to take over control, rather than wrestling the radio from your grip. If you do this, be aware that you need to get the same (or compatible) radio as your instructor.

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Building or assembling your airplane ?

The most important thing you can do while building or assembling is to make sure that everything is straight and square. This will result in a plane that flies consistently, predictably, and according to what you do at the transmitter instead of constantly trying to turn! This means: make sure the fin and
the stabilizer are at right angles; make sure the wing and stabilizer are at right angles to the fuselage (viewed from above); looking at the side view, the wing, stabilizer and engine (if any) are all at the angles specified on the plans; and that the wing is built on an absolutely *flat* surface, to make sure it doesn't have any warps or bends.
Covering: For now, stay with plastic/fabric material such as Monokote, Ultrcoat, etc.. It's reasonably easy to apply, not too heavy, and fuel proof. (The label gives directions.) Also, if you screw up a bit and find that the wing is warped, sometimes you can fix it by twisting it and re-shrinking the covering to hold it in place. Learn how to paint later.
Hinges:  There seem to be as many opinions on this as there ways of hinging! The important thing to watch out for - they should be strong enough so they won't pull out, and the gap between the surfaces should be as small as possible. This is yet another place that the local hobby store or an instructor is
invaluable. 

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What temperature should I use to apply my covering?

The temperature will depend upon the covering material you are using. Please see your covering material's instructions for guidelines. Please note, for example, clear and transparent MonoKotes have very different temp needs than opagues or flats.

For a chart on proper temperatures for popular coverings, please see:
http://www.coverite.com/accys/covr2700.html

For further information on working with covering materials, please visit:
http://www.monokote.com/monoinst1.html
http://www.monokote.com/care.html
http://www.top-flite.com/reviews/trimgraphics.html

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An especially important issue for so-called “park flyers” and “backyard flyers”

Your model probably operates on one of the 72 mhz band “aircraft model” frequencies allocated for our use by the Federal Communications Commission. There are other frequencies in the 75 mhz band set aside for “surface models” such as cars and boats. It is a violation of federal law to operate a car or boat on a 72 mhz frequency, or a plane on the 75 mhz band. Furthermore, if two models closer than about 3 miles from each other try to operate on the same frequency, they could “jam” each other’s controls, causing one or both models to crash. For example, if your back yard was within 3 miles of another flying site, and someone else was flying their model on the same frequency as your backyard model, you could cause them to lose control and crash. That could result in property damage, personal injury and even death! Meanwhile, they could cause your model to crash as well, also possibly causing more injuries, property damage, and death. Check with AMA and your local hobby shops to find all the local clubs in your area, then contact those clubs and verify that your intended flying area is a safe distance from other flying sites. When you go out to fly, watch for other flyers in your area and check that your radio’s frequency doesn’t conflict with theirs. If you take this responsible sort of approach, not only will you save your fellow RC modelers a lot of trouble, but you might make some new friends as well!

 R/C models are not toys. They are real airplanes, and they obey the same laws of physics. The only significant differences are that they don’t weigh as much as the “big ones”, and the pilot is standing on the ground instead of sitting in the cockpit. They still need to be built and flown with the same care and respect that you would give a full-scale aircraft. You would not think of trying to teach yourself to fly a full-scale airplane, and it’s just as unrealistic to try to teach yourself to fly an R/C model aircraft. Yes, it can be done, but life is too short for you to force yourself to repeat the same mistakes the rest of us have already made. Get a good instructor, you will learn much faster, spare yourself much grief and repair time, and you will probably still have an intact model when you’re done! 

The control inputs a model needs are essentially the same as a full-scale aircraft’s. However, the pilot is not actually in the airplane, and so the orientation skills required are different. If you are an experienced full-scale aircraft pilot, don’t assume you can fly a model. There are differences. Once again, get a good instructor! You’ll be glad you did. 

Check with your local hobby shop for an instructor and for contacts with the local clubs in your area. You can also check with the Academy of Model Aeronautics (“AMA”), the national organization that regulates and promotes model aviation in the USA. If you’re outside the USA, other countries typically have an equivalent organization, all of which ultimately report to the FAI in Paris, France. Find your appropriate national organization, they will be a tremendous source for help and information. 

You can reach the AMA through their website at:

www.modelaircraft.org 

We strongly recommend joining AMA. In doing so you will be supporting the national organization that stands up for your rights as a modeler. Many of the best flying sites in the USA would not be open for flying, and we would not have the radio frequencies available to us for our radios to use, had it not been through the efforts of the AMA. They have an excellent monthly magazine with all sorts of useful information, and they can help you find local modelers and clubs, as well as flying sites. However, one of the biggest reasons is insurance. Your AMA membership automatically carries with it supplemental liability insurance coverage, in case you accidentally cause damage or injury through your modeling activities. All AMA sanctioned clubs and most city parks that officially allow model airplane flying require AMA membership as a condition to being allowed to fly there. In today’s legal environment, flying without insurance coverage is extremely foolish. Join AMA, you’ll be glad you did! 

While you’re visiting the AMA website, take the time to read the AMA Safety Code. These are a set of guidelines for safe operation of your model. Their main points are based on the ideas of making sure your model is airworthy, that you fly it in a safe manner, and that you keep it away from things that are expensive and/or fragile (such as people). Although some small modifications may occasionally be needed for specific flying sites, following the spirit of the AMA safety code in all of your flying will save you a lot of repair time and expense, as well as minimizing the odds that you will ever need to use that insurance coverage! 

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