Draganfly Innovations Inc. Help Center

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.