Create Your Own Flying RC Airplane Design
Preparing a set of RC model airplane plans is easier than you think!
Case studies of how I published five model airplane plans here - you can too!
One of the fun aspects of the RC model airplane hobby is having the chance to visualize in your mind a new RC model airplane design, sketch out the design on paper, prepare a set of construction plans, build your own plane, and watch it take flight for the first time, and solve any design problems during those initial test flights. For someone new to the hobby of flying radio control model aircraft - especially if you have started with ready to fly aircraft - the idea of drawing a set of RC airplane design plans from scratch may seem a bit daunting. But the challenge is easily met. Following are some steps that will allow you to meet this objective, and have a bit of fun along the way. Further information on model airplane design made easy here.
Kit built model airplane balsa frame
Know how to build a model airplane from a kit
The absolute first step for creating your own RC airplane design is to be certain you know how to build a model RC airplane from a kit. With the proliferation of pre-built model airplanes these days, many of which are very reasonably priced and well constructed, it can be a challenge to find a quality model airplane kit to build. But worthy kits are out there - Tower Hobbies is a great place to start.
Your first kit should be of a trainer aircraft, with normal construction methods and materials. No fiberglass or foam at this early stage - balsa and plywood will work just fine. All your model airplane kits should have a set of full size plans that you build onto. An illustrated construction manual is very helpful. The idea here is to learn RC airplane design as you build the kit. Observe how the model is built up over the plans, and note various construction methods (wing spars, fuselage formers, wood sizes, etc.) that you may incorporate into your later personal RC airplane design.
The Guillow Lancer is an ideal kit to learn model airplane construction techniques
Once you have built an RC model airplane or two from kits, the next step is to build a model aircraft from a set of plans only. There are literally hundreds of RC model airplane plans available from the various model airplane magazines. The Academy of Model Aeronautics has one of the largest model airplane plan collections anywhere. Order a set of the full size plans and study them. You’ll have to make a bill of materials and cut out all the wood parts of the RC airplane design. In short, you will need to make a kit of your future model, using all the part information on the plans. With this experience, you will be ready to take the next step and design your own model airplane aircraft. Keep in mind you may one day want to get this model airplane design published.
Chickadee RC airplane design concept sketch
Keep your first designs simple
When you sketch out your first RC model airplane design, don’t attempt to create an exotic or complex aircraft that has never existed before. This will all come later. Instead, stick to the basics. Take one of your earlier trainer aircraft that you made from a kit. Make note of the various dimensions of the airplane. The distance (or moment) from the wing leading edge to the nose, the distance from the wing trailing edge to the tail, the wing area and span, and the size of the tail surfaces. Essentially recreate this RC airplane design as your first iteration with drawing an original RC airplane design. While keeping the main moments, areas and structures in your design similar to the original aircraft, make changes in such areas as the shape of the wing tip and tail surfaces. Make the wing slightly longer in span, and alter the shape of the nose a bit. Keep the same structure for the fuselage and the wing as the original RC airplane design. The approach here is to gain experience actually drawing a full size model airplane plan from scratch. I recommend that you start with drawing this first plan with a computer aided design program such as TurboCAD. CAD drawn model airplane plans are simply the standard these days.
SE-5a balsa structure
Build and fly your original design
Once your first original RC airplane design plan is complete, go ahead and build and fly the model aircraft. This exercise will demonstrate that it is really not all that hard to sketch out a new model airplane design, draw a set of plans, and then put together the finished model. The next step is to take this proven original design of yours, and make some further modifications. Consider changing the fuselage width, and maybe taking the wing from a high wing location to a shoulder or low wing configuration. Conduct some internet research to gather ideas from historical antique aircraft that you may want to incorporate in this new model airplane design. For example, you could take a single fin/rudder assembly, and adapt your RC airplane design to a twin rudder configuration such as the Beech 18. The cockpit is another area that easily lends itself to customization as you create an updated RC airplane design. If the original design uses an open cockpit plan, consider adding a canopy. And if there was a canopy in place, make your personal design with just a headrest and windscreen.
Side view of the Chickadee RC model airplane TurboCAD plan
Once you have drawn two or three original plans for RC model aircraft, you’ll gain confidence and quickly realize there are many more design options available to you. You can now quickly mature your skills in the area of RC model aircraft design, and get a model airplane plan or two published yourself. Remember, everyone had to start with that first model airplane design. Once you get your first plan complete and the model finished, all the work is worthwhile as you see your original RC airplane design take to flight for the first time.
RC Airplane Design