How-To Article: Designing Your First Model Airplane
RC plane design article published in January 2012 issue of Fly RC magazine
Thayer Syme published my article on “Designing Your First Model Airplane” in the January 2012 issue of Fly RC magazine. Thayer is an accomplished RC plane designer and Executive Editor of Fly RC magazine. Thayer did a great job editing my original submission, and I greatly appreciate his insights.
January 2012 Fly RC magazine cover
The article captures several points I have made throughout this website regarding RC airplane design. First, RC plane design is not all that difficult once you understand a few key points. Second, a job begun is half done. In other words, start now with sketching out that airplane design you have had in your mind over the years. Finally, draw an initial outline/plan, and begin building!
Start with a simple design
An RC plane’s construction details do not have to be complicated. Start with something simple, perhaps a box fuselage with a constant chord wing. Be certain you are comfortable with making an RC model from a kit. I also recommend having built at least one RC plane from a set of plans before starting on your first original design.
First page of RC plane design article
The initial plan for your electric model plane does not have to be detailed. The idea is to capture the outline of your finished model and add or subtract structure as you develop the prototype. While I have never done this, I have read enough reports of RC pilots who actually design the airplane as they build it. In other words, they do not work from any sort of plan.
I think this is more a reflection of an aversion towards drawing plans rather than a practical approach to RC plane design. If your RC project is a simple one, the first iteration of the plan can be quite rudimentary. On several of my RC design projects, I used just an aircraft outline generated in TurboCAD to build the prototype. Lots of building adjustments were made along the way to the finished prototype aircraft. Once the test flights were concluded I drew the final set of plans.
Preparing a plan is not difficult
Drawing a model airplane construction plan is not difficult. You essentially “build the model” as you sketch out the design. Take your plan drawing tasks in stages. There is no need to complete the entire plan in one sitting. Start with an easier part of the aircraft structure such as the wing. Work until you get to a stopping point and then let the project rest. You will be surprised when you return how quickly you will pick up from where you left off and progress to the finished layout.
Second page of RC plane design article
Recall that you can make changes as you build the model airplane prototype. You may see the need for additional wing ribs, or a better way to locate a battery in the fuselage. This is all part of the natural design process. As you gain experience, you will anticipate these types of design requirements with the first drawings of your aircraft plan.
Planning ahead with RC plane design is one of the key advantages of learning to use a Computer Aided Design (CAD) program such as TurboCAD for preparing a set of plans. In a CAD program, everything is drawn full size on the computer screen. You can zoom the drawings in or out at any time, but the program “knows” the correct size of the diagram. This ability to keep track of the size of everything in a CAD drawing is a huge advantage for drawing up a set of RC plane plans, especially for the smaller models used for indoor flight.
Chickadee made from plans
For example, one of the initial RC plane design elements I need to determine is the width of the fuselage to accommodate the radio control equipment envisioned for my model. The ParkZone line of RC equipment is ideal for an indoor micro flyer weighing around two ounces. The tiny unit containing the electronic speed control, two servos and receiver weighs around half an ounce. I essentially design the airplane around this equipment. I used the ParkZone gear in the Finch, as well as the Stevens AeroModel LiddleRod and Air Camper. CAD allows you to draw the fuselage at the correct width for the ESC brick, saving valuable planning time in the prototype build process.
RC model plane design is fun!
As discussed in Fly RC magazine, the radio control plane design process is fun and can be done by anyone willing to spend some time developing their modeling skills. Ensure you can construct a model airplane from a kit or set of plans and start with a simple project. You will quickly gain the expertise needed to be a successful RC plane designer.
RC model airplane rule of thumb design parameters