The History of Radio Controlled Model Airplanes

The allure of RC planes is similar to those of full sized planes, the dream of flight

Aviation is a relatively new field. The first real flight of an airplane was in 1903. The dream of flying has been with mankind for a very long time, though. Human aviation and model aviation are tied together by that dream and share quite a bit in terms of common history.

The Dream of Flight

Kites were probably the first flying device built by humans

It could be argued that the first idea for a flying machine comes from the legend of Icarus who used wings made from wax and feathers. The first device built by humans that achieved flight, though, was probably the kite. Leonardo Da Vinci drafted plans for a flying machine in the 1400s. Hot air balloons emerged in the 1700s, but when Orville and Wilbur Wright made their first flight in 1903, the era of aviation began.

The First Model Airplanes

Real steps in aviation were the catalysts for increased interest in model planes

A model airplane called "planophore" was built and flown by a french inventor (Alphonse Penaud) in Paris. That flight predated the Wright brothers' flight by over 30 years. Once the Wright brothers made their successful flight, though, imitators began constructing model planes based on their design. When Charles Lindbergh made his transatlantic flight in 1927 it sparked a real swell in mainstream interest in aviation. That applied both to full-sized planes and the model versions.

First Steps Toward Radio Controlled Flight

The first recreational RC planes appeared in the 1950s

Like many consumer technologies, the first efforts toward radio-controlled flight came in the pursuit of warfare. The German military experimented with radio controls for missiles during World War II. The first real radio-controlled model airplanes (for recreational use by civilians) arrived in the 1950s. The batteries were very large on these planes, making the planes themselves bulky. They couldn't fly very far on a charge because of this size consideration and inefficiency of the batteries.

The 1970s

RC airplanes became more mainstream in the 1970s

The 1970s saw big improvements in RC model airplanes. Controls became more sophisticated. There were more choices in terms of airplane configuration and options. While the first RC model airplanes required frequent maintenance and repair, newer ones were more reliable. RC model airplanes became more mainstream with more families getting involved. That helped to move it out of a small niche hobby and into the realm of general culture.

Modern RC Airplanes

Today's RC planes have increased range and flight duration over their earlier counterparts

Today's RC model airplanes are far more advanced than the planes that were flown in the 1970s. In general there are two types, electric and gasoline powered. Electric planes don't have the same sort of maneuverability and power as the gasoline models, but they are less expensive and require less maintenance. Both types of RC model airplanes bring an increased flying range and length of flight over their 1970s counterpart, though. As technology continues to advance, it's certain that RC model airplanes will become even more versatile.

References

• Nasa: The History of Flight
• RC-Model Airplanes: RC Airplane History
• Recreation Aviation: RC Plane History