A Purchasing Guide for Budding RC Plane Hobbyists

By Saul Levin, Compiled by Dave Levin

0. Introduction - 1. Flying Planes - 2. Building Planes - 3. Other Models - 4. Links

Introduction

My brother is a huge remote control (RC) plane nut. Upon learning this, a handful of people have asked me to get the scoop on how to get into this hobby. So, I figured I'd post some of my brother's tips.

After all, since any real hobby's worth is proportional to the amount of time (and money) one can sink into it, this must be the greatest hobby of all (except yacht racing, perhaps).

There are two main facets to this hobby: building and flying. The rest of this page goes through the must-haves for both of these. Along the way, I give links to my brother's recommended sites.

In addition to being a blast, building and flying RC planes can be a fantastic learning experience for kids as well as adults. Throughout the process, you'll learn a lot about construction, circuitry, and motors, kind of like this one (vid). I want to send a very special thank you to Stuart and the other folks in the summer science program for pointing this out to me!

Enjoy.. and please accept my apologies in advance for giving you such an exquisite waste of time.

Flying Planes

Flying and building RC planes can be as orthogonal as you wish. For instance, there are many model planes out there that most would be too afraid to fly, if only to avoid ruining a work of art. Many planes, on the other hand, exist only to be flown.

One thing to note is that, in general, the larger an airplane is, the easier it is to fly, as it is less affected by wind and gives the controller more time to react.

Simulator

Big Tip: If you want to fly, purchase the RC plane flight simulator, Real Flight G2. It truly is a must-have.

Field Equipment

When it comes time to really fly, there is a set of things you'll invariably need at the field. For the most part, these are things to get your plane fueled and started: All of these can be purchased at a hobby shop or online at the links below.

Building Planes

For the beginning hobbyist, there are three classes of planes (based on difficulty) to consider.

Ready-to-Fly

Ready-to-fly planes are self-explanatory. If you wish to build, but are not necessarily interested in flying, then this may be a waste of time.

Site: Horizon Hobby.

Recommendations:

The difference between the Alpha 40 and 60 is the size of the engine. Also, the Alpha 60 is larger. Recall that, in general, the larger an airplane is, the easier it is to fly.

Kits

Plane kits require you to build the plane, but provide all of the parts pre-cut and ready for assembly. If you want to build planes, this is definitely where to start - the harder difficulty (scratch builds) are really going to be tough if you don't have at least one or two kits under your belt.

To start
Site: Tower Hobbies.

Recommendations:

Again, the difference in numbers denotes a difference in engine size. Both of these are available in kit and ready-to-fly forms, so make sure you get the kit. These are both really good planes to start out on. See below for some recommendations on equipment for building these.

More involved
Recommended sites:

In any of the above sites, the Piper Cub is a good starter.

Scratch Build

Scratch building is the process of purchasing the plans (blueprints) of a plane and then purchasing and cutting your own wood to build it. To get the balsa, you can just go to any hobby shop.

For this, my brother recommends one man: Wendell Hostetler at aero-sports.com/whplans. The one to shoot for (eventually -- not recommended as a first plane) is the 55% scale Giles 202.

Building Equipment

The following equipment is recommended for use in building the PT 40, but there is a lot that is also used in other planes: There is more equipment to get (a large work area, for one). Tower Hobbies has a complete listing of everything you need to do a build or to fly, but it is worth following the recommendations above.

Other Plane Types

In addition to the traditional fuel-powered prop planes, there are the following:

Electrics

Another class of planes are Electrics, which run solely off of battery. For these types of planes, you can visit any of the other links provided, or more specifically, the following:

Jets

For all things jets, go to Bob Violett Models. These are simply the best jets on the market. Also sells working turbine engines.

Links and Shameless Plugs

Doug's Hobby Shop (301-843-7774)
When you call, ask for Jim Moran or Bill or any of the airplane guys. Really good prices: can match or beat Tower Hobbies' and Horizon Hobby's prices. Been open for about 31 years. Very good/helpful.

Wendell Hostetler

A master of all things plans-related. A great thing about Mr. Hostetler is that he is available via phone and can scale things on demand.

Tower Hobbies

Horizon Hobby

RC Universe

Buy, sell, and trade whatever you want.

RC plane locations

Find clubs and, potentially, fields where you can fly.
Last modified: -Dave