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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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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Web: www.rctoys.com
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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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The 50 nominees for this past years’ International Academy of Science Outstanding Technology of the Year Awards included high-tech innovations, toys and gadgets from big name companies like ASUS, Canon, Ford and Ducati. The Draganfly Innovations Inc. Tango Surveillance Aircraft UAV made it to the final 10 beating out such astonishing technologies as the Lotus Exige and the Grand Canon’s Skywalk.

The Draganfly Innovations Inc. Tango Surveillance Aircraft is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) used to capture professional, high quality aerial photography and aerial video. Read more about the Tango Surveillance Aircraft and its Top 10 Outstanding Technology of the Year result on the IAS Finalists Page.

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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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In their ongoing effort to excel in customer service, Thunder Power RC has launched an online Return Merchant Authorization (RMA) request form. Customers can now go to www.thunderpowerrc.com, click on the Support/FAQs link, then click the RMA/Return Authorization Form button. If you have had your Thunder Power lipoly battery, charger, battery or ESC for 90 days or less it may still be covered under Thunder Power RC’s warranty. Thunder Power RC’s online RMA form will ask for the customers order information and let them detail exactly what is wrong. Up to 5 products can be submitted at a time. Once the customer submits the online RMA form, Thunder Power RC will contact them with further instructions and details on mailing in their products for repair/return/exchange/warranty. Customers: be sure to have your order number and order confirmation receipts handy when they call or email you.

Thunder Power RC products purchased from Draganfly Innovations Inc. may be serviced directly via Thunder Power RC. The exceptions are special order batteries, unused regular stock batteries coming back for refund or special batteries for our Draganflyer RC helicopters. Draganfly Innovations Inc. will warranty these special batteries via our normal RMA method. Please see our Return Policy.

Thunder Power RC’s new online RMA form will reduce the amount of time it takes to get your Thunder Power RC product serviced and repaired. Please feel free to email or call us at 1-800-979-9794 / 306-955-9907 if you have any questions.

Draganfly Innovations Inc. is one of the top Thunder Power RC distributors on the Internet. Buy a Thunder Power RC Lipo Pack today and experience the difference a lighter, more powerful lipo battery makes to your RC electric helicopter, airplane, or car. Order today and receive FREE Shipping anywhere in the world for all Thunder Power RC products including lipo battery packs, lipo chargers, balancers and accessories.

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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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Friday, July 6, 2007 - Thunder Power RC publishes their new corporate Web site: www.ThunderPowerRC.com

The new Thunder Power RC Web site sports their new logo, updated navigation and modern looking graphics. Thunder Power RC’s new Web site is part of their revamped corporate image to cover a broader portion of the RC hobby parts market. Rather than simply focusing on Lithium Polymer batteries, ThunderPower is now into the Brushless ESC and 3D RC helicopter market.

Keep checking the new Thunder Power site as they continue to add new content including a new Video & Images area.

Draganfly Innovations Inc. is one of the largest Thunder Power RC distributors on the ‘Net and your number one source for useful information on Thunder Power RC’s wide array of products.

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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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