RC Airplane Wheels Complete Your Model!
Use the correct RC airplane wheels for your indoor flyer
Selection of model airplane wheels
There are a variety of decisions you need to make prior to completing a radio control model airplane from either a prototype design, a kit or construction plans. The builder must keep an eye on proper wood sizes and densities to ensure the model comes in under its maximum weight and within the acceptable center of gravity. A suitable electric motor has to be planned for, as well as the installation of the radio gear. However, an often overlooked item on any aircraft model you may build is the proper set of RC airplane wheels.
Learn how to make your own spoke wheels
Fortunately, there is a wide variety of RC airplane wheels available from numerous vendors. A search of the various mail order houses, including a stop at your local hobby shop, is a good first step for obtaining the correct set of RC airplane wheels. For a normal sport RC airplane, the selection of a suitable set of RC airplane wheels is not challenging. Probably the main concern is having a large enough RC aircraft wheel diameter to successfully taxi and takeoff from a grass runway, should your flying location not have a paved runway.
For indoor aircraft, the selection of RC airplane wheels becomes more critical. Minimum weight is the primary focus for any micro indoor RC flyer such as the Antoinette. Again, we are fortunate that there is a wide selection of suitable RC airplane wheels for most indoor aircraft. Ensure that the wheel can support the weight of your model. There are instances of truly micro-weight RC wheels that cannot bear the weight of some of the larger indoor RC models. This knowledge is obtained via trial and error, combined with observing what fellow modelers use for RC airplane wheels on their indoor RC aircraft.
Micro wheels for the lightest RC model airplanes
Many choices for aircraft wheels
For state of the art light weight RC airplane wheels, monitor what is being used on popular RTF micro RC aircraft. The line of ParkZone indoor flyers is a perfect example of this approach. ParkZone’s Cessna 210 or Ember use the same style of extremely lightweight foam RC airplane wheels. The ParkZone Cessna 210 weighs around 18 grams, thus little aircraft weight needs to actually be supported by the tiny foam wheels. The Cessna typically takes off in just a few feet. Yet the landing gear and wheel arrangement permits the Cessna 210 to successfully take off and land outdoors on a smooth paved surface.
The ParkZone lightweight RC airplane wheels for the Cessna 210 work so well that I added them on my prototype of the Finch. The Finch is a three channel micro RC model airplane, constructed from free, full size CAD plans that you can download here. The Finch is designed for the ParkZone line of radio control electronics, and can be built in a weekend from materials likely already in your wood and parts bin. The small ParkZone RC airplane wheels work just fine for the Finch’s take off, landing and taxi operations. Remember this as you fly other RTF or ARF indoor RC models. Keep any small, light weight wheels for future use when you are finished with the original model.
For scale indoor RC airplanes, the selection of an appropriate set of wheels is much more important. Modelers are familiar with “the look” of any scale RC aircraft, and the wheels are a very large part of this ensemble. The strict weight requirements for any indoor RC model, and especially micro airplanes, limits the selection of acceptable scale RC airplane wheels.
Spoke and light weight plastic wheel on Chickadee
Make your own spoke wheels
Perhaps the biggest challenge that lies before scale modelers who are seeking the right set of spoke RC airplane wheels for their indoor airplane project. You can locate spoke wheels for RC models from various manufacturers, but the wheels tend to be heavy due to the metal wire construction used for the spokes. With any indoor model, let alone the micro RC indoor airplanes, weight is critical. RC airplane spoke wheels have to be as light as is practical.
The good news is that with the use of just balsa, thread, some tubing and a small piece of plywood for the hub, you can make a pair of lightweight spoke RC airplane wheels that will work perfectly with any indoor radio control model airplane. You can find further free information on making model airplane spoke wheels on this website. The “lost jig” method lends itself to making spoke wheels of any size for modeling use.
In summary, RC airplane wheels are an important part of any model airplane. Light weight is very important for an indoor RC model aircraft. The best method to obtain the proper set of wheels for your next indoor model is to pay attention to what is coming out from the various vendors, save any light weight wheels from models you are no longer flying, and use the “lost jig” method to make RC airplane spoke wheels for an antique airplane subject.