How to Get Started in Electric RC Airplanes
Flying RC airplanes is a hobby that interests people worldwide. From building your first airplane to flying for hours at a time, it's a hobby that requires skills that can take years to master, while allowing beginners to participate fully in minutes. Electric RC airplanes provide a good entry point into the hobby, operating at lower speeds than gas powered aircraft, and with simpler flight models that are more forgiving of mistakes. Available in a wide variety of models, getting started is just a matter of finding the airplane that fits your available time and model building skills.
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Instructions
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Choose the type of electric RC airplane you wish to fly. There are two general types, powered airplanes and gliders. Powered airplanes are those with engines to propel them through the air. They're complicated to learn and a mistake easily leads to a crash, but they'll allow you to fly in most moderate weather conditions and areas with the greatest amount of control. Gliders will need a flight location with plenty of wind changes, such as hills, and require assisted takeoffs. Once in the air gliders fly slower, allowing you to get used to the controls for a longer period, and tend to land easier with less chance of crashing.
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Choose a kit level for your model airplane. Electric RC airplanes can be bought in a wide range of completeness, from kits that require you to build the aircraft piece by piece from balsa wood or foam, installing the electrics yourself, to complete ready-to-fly aircraft with remote electronics in place needing only fresh batteries in the remote and a charged battery pack in the plane.
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Build your airplane following the instructions provided with your kit.
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Purchase a PC-based RC flight trainer. Most modern RC remotes can be connected to training software running on the PC, which will guide you through the basics of flight and using the remote. Practice with the simulator until you feel proficient in using your remote.
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Find a field to fly in. Contact a local hobby shop to find organized clubs in your area with regular flight times. Most clubs will be happy to have beginners join them, and there you can learn the basics of actual flight with experienced hobbyists. If a club is unavailable, find an open field that you can gain permission to access and try out your simulator-trained skills. Expect a few mistakes the first few times out, but by following what you learned from the simulator you should be able to go through takeoff, simple flight and landing without too much difficulty.
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Tips & Warnings
If there are no local clubs in your area, speak to the sales people at your local RC shop who can provide you with introductions to those who may be willing to teach you the basics of flying your plane.
For your first few flights, stick with calm days with steady winds.
