Build Your Own Homemade RC Planes
Construct a model airplane from a kit or plans at home
Early rubber powered model airplane
Hobbyists have enjoyed flying model airplanes since the early 1900s. These early homemade planes were typically constructed of bamboo and balsa and covered with tissue or lightweight silk. Power was provided by rubber bands. In spite of these obstacles to efficient flight, many of these models were successful and flew well.
Robin is easy to construct from plans
Technology then, as now, helped to transform the hobby. Practical gas engines made their debut in the 1930s, leading to gas powered free flight models. The very first radio control gear came onto the scene in the late 1930s. Homemade RC planes development took a necessary pause during World War II.
Modern electronics
The mature state of electronics development in the 1950s led to the first practical use of radio control gear for the home hobbyist. The RC model airplane hobby continues to evolve with today’s ready to fly aircraft and miniature electronics typified by the ParkZone line of indoor flyers.
But where does all this leave someone wanting to make a homemade RC plane? The answer is that this is the best possible time to be creative and produce your own RC model aircraft. For the home hobbyist, you have at your disposal a wide variety of RC model aircraft projects. You can build from a kit, a set of plans, or create your own original design. If you run into any sort of building or flying challenge, various internet RC forums can quickly provide insight to a solution.
Simple tools can make attractive model aircraft
Home workshop
It does not require an extensive work shop to produce a homemade RC plane. Some builders do have an extensive set up in their basement or garage. Others produce beautiful models while working in a spare room in their house. The main point is to make do with the work area that you have, and adapt as required.
Blackburn monoplane can be built on a desk
For example, if you have to build inside your house, you will likely be unable to use gas powered model aircraft due to fuel odors. This is a perfect time to move towards electric flight. If you have to build models on your desk, constructing smaller park flyers in the space available might be the best way ahead to make your homemade RC planes. The key is to plan ahead, understand the limitations of your work area, and proceed from that point. It is also a very good idea to have some sort of storage cabinet nearby, so you can keep your toolboxes and building supplies in a neat location, away from day to day activities
Making model planes in your home allows you to discover and convert earlier free flight designs to radio control flight. There are literally thousands of very successful rubber powered free flight model aircraft designed and flown over the past 80 years that are ideal candidates for RC conversions.
Demoiselle model airplane plans
Understanding construction plans
To tackle this fun challenge, you must have the ability to read and follow a set of construction plans. As discussed elsewhere in this website, the basic requirement of being able to build a model airplane starts with a well designed kit. Once you can build a model or two from a kit, creating a finished aircraft from a set of plans is an easy and logical next step. As your plans-built aircraft skills mature, you will be comfortable making minor modifications to other designs that will allow you to produce a free flight to RC model airplane conversion without any difficulty.
As you develop your kit and plans building skills at home, keep in mind that you can “kit and plan bash” any model airplane. By bashing a design, this means that you make modifications to come up with a unique model airplane version.
Bash a kit or plan
Bashing can be done with any aircraft, from a ready to fly to your latest plans built project. Bashing can be as simple as removing the existing covering on a RTF model and replacing with a completely different decoration scheme to changing the length of a wing or shape of a tail surface.
You will soon discover that relatively simple modifications can produce strikingly different effects with your finished homemade RC aircraft. Kit and plan bashing skills can be especially fun with having a way to differential a common ready to fly model from all the others. As always, if you do these modifications to a RTF micro flyer, ensure that you add the minimum weight possible to preserve the original’s flight characteristics.