Tips for Flying RC Airplanes

We have all seen the YouTube videos of the Ace flyers, making dramatic swoops, loops, and spins with near perfect precision, but the fact of the matter is that no one starts out as an ace flyer. It takes years of practice to do those stunts. That is why I would recommend starting out with a good simulator program for your PC. There are many on the market today, so do some research and find one that works with the type of A/C and flying you are looking at doing. Also get into your local RC flying community. Start showing up and asking questions of some of the more seasoned flyers, most will be only too glad to share some of their ability on the subject. And when it's time for your first flight, your new buddies will be there to help you out.

Always do a preflight check before takeoff. First, turn on the transmitter, then the airplane. Do a basic hand test of the plane to make sure everything is functioning correctly, then do a range check, collapse the antenna on the transmitter, walk 50-100 feet away and check that your equipment is responding properly. Determine wind direction and speed by throwing a light material (grass clippings work well) into the air.

When you are ready for takeoff face your A/C into the wind. If you're launching you're A/C by hand, give it full power and launch it with a straight and level toss into the air and quickly grab the controls. If this is still new to you, have a friend launch your airplane for you. If you are taking off from the ground slowly advance the power and wait for it to gain enough speed for takeoff

Once you're in the air, keep the throttle at full power until the plane achieves sufficient altitude, allow yourself some room to recover from mistakes, and then reduce the throttle to half power. Practice flying in an oval pattern, turning in the same direction for a while. After you have feel comfortable with one direction try flying the opposite direction. When the oval gets too easy, mix it up and try a figure eight. Remember to keep the A/C as level as possible; raising the nose too much can make it stall.

When you are ready to land your airplane face it back into the wind, slowly reduce the throttle and glide it in, when you are about five feet off the ground cut the throttle completely. Raise the nose of the A/C at the last second, for a perfect three point landing.

Well that's the basics. Thanks for reading