There are a few problems that you may encounter with your F-16 radio control airplane and they can usually be remedied fairly easily. To determine what this problem please make sure that you are correctly launching your airplane into the wind and with a very firm toss.

If the plane slowly dives and does not increase in altitude and the plane does not pitch up, there is most likely an issue with the battery. If this is a new airplane, the battery will have to be “cycled” a few times before it will provide enough power to the aircraft. This is done simply by charging and discharging the battery. Fully charge the battery and then discharge it in the airplane by running throttle until it quits. Repeat this about 3 or 4 times and the battery should be putting out more power and running for a longer time.

If the airplane pitches up and then dives when launched it is probably due to the aircraft being not balanced. To fix this apply a small amount of weight to the nose of the aircraft. Normally applying 3 to 4 grams of weight to the top of the aircraft just in front of the canopy will be sufficient to keep the aircraft flying level. Different items such as plasticine or coins can be taped to the airplane for weight. You may need to experiment with different amount of weight to get the airplane flying properly.

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© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
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Mini infrared RC helicopter motors, batteries, rotor blades & propellers are now available at Draganfly Innovations Inc. www.RCToys.com

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© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
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With the help of the previous article, Your First Radio Control Airplane, and a little work, your remote control airplane is ready to fly. But we have a little more preparation to do before you can send it skyward.

Your remote control airplane’s center of gravity (CG) is a vital setting. You determine where it is by balancing the remote control airplane – fully assembled, fueled, and ready to fly – at two points on the bottom of the wing. You are trying to find out where, front to back, the remote control airplane balances, so keeping both fingers (or sticks, whichever you use) at the same front-to-back location on opposite wing halves is very important. Once you’ve found that point, mark it somehow.

Now you know where you remote control plane’s CG is. The correct CG position depends on the remote control airplane, so check the manual. It should give you a range of acceptable CG locations. The CG for a typical trainer remote control plane is about one third of the width of a wing back from its leading edge. If your CG isn’t in that range, you need to make some changes. You can move rc equipment or the batteries around internally or add lead weight. Lead should be placed at the very front or very back of the remote control plane, where it has the most effect. Attempting to fly with a CG outside the range is a recipe for disaster.

The next check is to ensure the remote control airplane won’t fall apart or stop working once it takes off. You should give a firm pull on all sections of the remote control airplane to ensure the wind won’t pull them off or break them. Concentrate on the wing, ailerons, vertical fin, rudder, horizontal fin/stabilizer, elevator, landing gear, and motor.

We’re getting closer. Next, use your transmitter to confirm that all control surfaces (and throttle!) move in the right direction with the sticks. Pull back on the elevator stick, and the elevator should rise. Push the rudder stick right, and the rudder should move right (when looking at the plane from behind). Push the aileron stick right, and the right aileron should rise and left aileron should fall. Full throttle should fully open the carburetor or run the electric motor at full speed, and idle throttle should almost fully close it; it should fully close when throttle trim is brought all the way down or in the case of an electric motor the prop should slow to a halt.

Now the remote control plane is ready, but it is important to understand that it is possible to crash. Even if a crash occurs you don’t need to worry. The key question here is, how well will your remote control plane survive a crash, and are the spare parts you may need available? Some planes, like trainers, are very durable and designed to survive crashes. Two examples of easily available trainer replacement parts are Vortex 2 channel remote control airplane parts and Vortex Extreme 3 channel remote control airplane parts. Others, mostly sport planes, can suffer major damage and require hours of repair. If your remote control plane is the former durable type, then visit a large open tree-free field and start learning to fly.

For the other types of remote control plane, finding local experienced pilots to test fly your remote control plane and take over when you get in trouble is absolutely necessary. Find and join the local flying club, and your flying experience should be highly successful.

With the first flight under your belt, the remote control airplane becomes secondary. It’s now about improving your piloting skills and having fun. Protect your remote control airplane, diligently practice your landings, and enjoy the sky.

Thanks for reading our 4-Part Series: Introduction to RC Airplanes. Go Back to Post 1 »

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© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
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Our last article, Fundamentals of the Sport / Hobby, prepared you for the decisions that lay ahead. With the context of RC airplanes in your pocket, let’s look at choosing your first airplane.

There are a lot of rc airplanes to choose from, and a ton of equipment possibilities. All you need to know is what you are looking for, what each option means, and then you can go shopping. Fortunately, there’s a market for entry-level rc airplanes and equipment. After all, every current RC pilot has at one time needed a first rc airplane.

One way to focus your rc airplane search is to look for rc airplanes designated as trainers. Trainer is the term used for rc airplanes that are designed to be simple, durable, easy to fly, and forgiving. You can spot them by their high wing position, abundance of dihedral, and large fuselage.

Dihedral is the angle between the two wings halves. An rc airplane with no dihedral has flat wings. An rc airplane with dihedral has the wing halves sloped upwards away from center. Dihedral induces slight roll stability, so the rc airplane will want to return to wings-level.

Once you’ve started to spot trainers that interest you, it’s time to choose between the two types of motors, nitro and electric. Nitro motors are internal combustion engines that burn an alcohol and nitro methane fuel. Electric motors are powered by batteries. They both work very well, so choose between them based on personal attractiveness.

As you know from the previous article, rc airplanes are controlled by their control surfaces. Each control surface requires its own radio channel. You will find radio systems and rc airplanes rated by the number of channels they use. A 2-channel system of throttle and rudder is the most basic – just enough for basic flight – and will limit the maneuvering that you can do with your rc plane. A 3-channel system offers good control for casual flight, and a 4-channel system is best for advanced sport and acrobatic flying.

RC airplanes are available in Ready to Fly (RTF) versions which only require minutes of preparation to plug the components together, and Almost Ready to Fly (ARF) versions in which the airplane is mostly assembled but may take a few hours of final assembly. Another option would be buying the airplane as a kit and building it yourself. This is a very labor-intensive process, expect to spend thirty to sixty hours building this type of rc airplane.

Whatever rc airplane you choose, it’s possible it may crash eventually. If that happens, you will need spare parts. Spare parts availability is important to the success you have in this hobby.

There’s one final tip I can offer to those in the market for an entry-level airplane. You can, in fact, try before you buy. An RC flight simulator, like FMS, has two benefits to you. By spending some time flying FMS Flight Simulator, you get a head start learning to fly and can try many different types of airplanes. Flying a flight simulator with a true RC controller is the best investment of time and money a new pilot can make.

The next article, Your First Flight with a Remote Control Airplane, will help you through your pre-flight inspections and first flights. Get that rc airplane assembled, there’s flying to be done!

Go to Part 4 of 4 in this Series: Introduction to RC Airplanes »

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© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
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You can experience all the joy of flying airplanes without being inside one. Using a few special technologies, you can pilot an RC airplane from the ground. It’s cheaper and easier to get into than full-scale piloting. As well, rc aviation is much safer and offers higher performance. It’s a great outdoor hobby where you will enjoy scenery, freedom, and friendship.

The first technology used is the radio control system. As an rc pilot, you hold a transmitter unit and move two control sticks. By moving these control sticks (which function like two joysticks on a game controller) you will control the airplane’s flight.

The transmitter communicates your stick positions, via a radio signal, to the rc airplane. The rc airplane contains a receiver, which decodes this transmission and tells the servos to move a position corresponding to what you commanded on the sticks. The servos are a cool piece of technology. They rotate to whatever position they are told to go to, and are very strong and very accurate.

How does a servo rotating make your rc airplane fly? This is where the technology becomes entirely mechanical. A linkage, in the form of a cable or strong rod, connects the servo’s rotating shaft and arm to the airframe’s flight control surface.

The flight control surface is literally a movable section of wing. By controlling the orientation of the control surface (the servo’s job), you can generate the fundamental airframe rotations that all aircraft since the Wright brothers have used for control.

Roll, pitch, and yaw are the fundamental airframe rotations. Each is generated and controlled by a specific control surface. Roll is generated by the ailerons, pitch by the elevator, and yaw by the rudder.

It’s a complicated process involving a series of interesting technologies, but when you’re flying, rc airplane control is as simple as can be. You move a pair of control sticks with your fingers, and the rc airplane immediately responds by changing its flight path. Piloting an rc airplane is a lot like driving a car or playing a video game.

Now that we have gone through the fundamentals check out the next article, Your First Radio Control Airplane.

Go to Part 3 of 4 in this Series: Introduction to RC Airplanes »

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© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
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RC airplanes come in a few distinct categories. Each category generally emphasizes certain features or abilities while sacrificing others. Some of the fun in the RC airplane hobby comes from trying these types and discovering which is for you. Finally, tons of fun is the reward for figuring out which type you prefer and focusing on it.

The first type, because it is commonly a first rc airplane, is the trainer. The trainer is identified by the wing mounted high on the fuselage and quite a bit of dihedral – the angle between the two wing halves. It is designed to be stable, easy to fly, and simple to build. Examples of trainer r c planes are the Vortex, the Vortex Extreme, and the Multiplex Easy Star.

Often a pilot’s second rc airplane, the sport type, drops the wing to the middle or bottom of the fuselage and emphasizes performance. The airfoil thins out, the wing shrinks, and the fuselage is thinner, all in the name of increased performance and speed. These designs allow for aerobatic maneuvers, including inverted flight, knife edge flight, and snap rolls. An example of an rc airplane that crosses the gap between a trainer and a sport type is the Multiplex MiniMag.

Expanding the possibilities in aerobatic maneuvers are 3D acrobats. These r c planes are designed to fly at slower speeds, and to have incredible control surface authority. Often the control surfaces are as big as the flight surfaces! They are also built extremely light and given the strongest motors for mind-boggling performance, unrivaled in the full-scale world. An example of a 3D acrobatic rc airplane is the SX3 (Southern Cross 3).

Focused on speed and sometimes scale-appearance, jets are a thrilling rc airplane type. They are often powered by ducted-fans, or even miniature kerosene turbines. An example of a basic electric ducted fan jet is the Interactive Toy Concepts F-16 Falcon.

Vastly departed from the previously mentioned airplane types are the two final ones on our list, gliders and ornithopters. Gliders have long, thin wings and anorexic fuselages. They aim to stay in the air without power for as long as possible. Ornithopters generate their flying power by literally flapping their wings, like birds.

They’re all fun, but which one is for you?

To get more information see our next article, Fundamentals of the Sport / Hobby.

Go to Part 2 of 4 in this Series: Introduction to RC Airplanes »

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© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
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Two New Pages:

In an effort to help our customers find exactly the product they are looking for we have created two new dedicated manufacturer pages: Castle Creations and Hacker Brushless. For good reason many people wish to shop by a specific manufacturer. Our new Castle Creations and Hacker Brushless manufacturer pages have category style links to each of their product lines followed by interesting information about each manufacturer. At the bottom of each of these new pages are links to various helpful articles specifically tailored to each brand.

Simple URLs:

The URLs for these two pages are simple to remember:
Castle Creations: http://www.rctoys.com/castle-creations/
Hacker Brushless: http://www.rctoys.com/hacker-brushless/

Easy To Find:

We have placed links to these two new pages on our Home page as well as the R/C Components page. We carry a huge selection of Castle Creations, Berg and Hacker Brushless RC equipment. Try out our new Castle Creations and Hacker Brushless pages. The links and icons look like this:

Buy Castle Creations ESCs and Berg Receivers & Crystals

Buy Hacker Brushless ESCs & Brushless Motors

What Else Can We Do?

We are constantly trying to improve your shopping experience at Draganfly Innovations Inc. www.RCToys.com. Please let us know what you think of our two new pages. If you have ideas on how we can improve our Web site be sure to send us an email.

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© Draganfly Innovations Inc.
Phone: 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907
Email: info@rctoys.com
Web: www.rctoys.com
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