How to Fly Scale Jet Aircraft Models

Scale jet aircraft models require intermediate to advanced flying skills. As such, they should not be used until you get some experience flying a basic trainer or glider. Once you have the basics of flight down, however, a scale jet aircraft model can be a lot of fun. Many hobbyists find that the flair of flying an authentic looking model adds a lot to the joy of radio control flight.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Scale Jet Aircraft Model
• Radio Control

Choosing Your Plane

1. Decide on how much you want to do before you fly. Model airplanes come in several kit styles:, almost ready to fly (ARF) and ready to fly (RTF). The kits require several hours of building and some previous experience, the ARF usually just require you to snap a few parts together, and the RTF are already built. Kits run cheaper, and building your own plane can be a rewarding experience, but if you haven't done a lot of model building before, you should go with an ARF or RTF plane.

2. Decide on what plane you like. You can find scale jet aircraft models of almost any plane ever made, including both military and civilian. Some of them even come with different decals for the different nations that have used them. Don't settle until you find just the one you like.

3. Decide on ducted fan electric, or gas powered engines. Both gas and electric ducted fans will give your aircraft an authentic look and good performance. Electric engines are slower and lower powered, but they are also cheaper and easier to maintain. Gas engines require fuel, glow plug, glow plug igniter, and various other accessories, as well as frequent maintenance. If you are an experienced flier, however, gas is probably the way to go.

4. Consider a jet powered RC airplane. Recently, small scale jets have become available to power RC aircraft. They are tremendously powerful, and have the ability to propel a plane at well over 200 mph. They are also extremely expensive, fairly loud, and quite dangerous. They should only be considered by the most experienced hobbyists.

5. Get plenty of experience on simpler airplanes. Scale aircrafts in general are difficult to handle, and jet powered ones are even more so. Don't try it until you know what you're doing. Learning not to fly a radio controlled airplane before you're ready can be an expensive lesson.

6. Choose how many control channels you want. The more channels, the more precise your control will be. On the flip side, more channels also means a more difficult aircraft to control and maintain. Scale jet aircraft models come in 3 channels and above.

Flying the Plane

1. Join a local flying club. you will get access to teachers who can help you begin flying your airplane, and to the best spots to fly. Many flying clubs have their own fields dedicated to flying radio controlled aircraft.

2. Join the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA). They will give you liability insurance, which is extremely important when flying a RC model aircraft. Although it is a safe hobby, accidents still do occasionally happen.

3. Find a suitable flying site. Public parks are good places to fly small electric powered aircraft, but gas planes and faster electric ones generally require a dedicated flying site.

4. Get an instructor. Presumably, you have already learned the basics on a stable, electric-powered trainer. Even so, an instructor is still crucial to progressing to the next stage. Small imperfections in assembly can cause your plane to not fly correctly, making it difficult to control. An instructor can test the aircraft out and correct it for you. He will also be there to take over if you get into trouble. Your flight club should be able to direct you to a good teacher.

5. Try a flight simulator. Any flight simulator, whether designed to mimic RC flying or actual aircraft, will help you to get the basics.

6. Learn yourself by progressing slowly to more and more advanced models. If you are buying your first scale jet aircraft model, buy an advanced beginner or intermediate level one. This will allow you to build on the experience you had with your beginner model without taking too big a jump.

7. Start off slow. For your first flight, throttle up, take off, hop a few feet into the air, and land. Observe how the aircraft handles during that short flight.

8. Proceed to something slightly harder. Throttle up, take off, get 30 feet up, and land. Even in that short space, you should notice that the model plane is faster, more responsive, and less forgiving than a trainer.

9. When you feel ready, take a trip around the field. Throttle up, take off, and gain some altitude. Then take a wide, gradual loop. Come in for a landing where you started.

Resources

• Academy of Model Aeronautics
• RC Airplane Clubs and Flying Fields
• RC Flight Simulator Reviews
• How to Fly RC Model Planes