Ready to Fly RC Planes – Get Airborne Now!
Affordable ready to fly RC aircraft for indoor flight
Revell's UFO flying saucer powered by s single electric RC motor
Practical radio control model airplanes have been available to the RC hobbyist since the early 1960s. Almost ready to fly gas powered aircraft came to the fore in the late 1980s. But the advent of practical, well flying micro electric powered ready to fly RC planes is a recent development in the hobby. And let there be no doubt - ready to fly RC planes have taken over the hobby. And nowhere has this remarkable achievement had more effect than with indoor radio control flight.
Micro models are well designed
Efficient manufacturing techniques and affordable electronics have combined to make small ready to fly RC airplanes a true reality. For the most part, these advanced models are made of light weight foam. There is a great deal of design insight and expertise applied to these aircraft. Airfoils are carefully thought out, wing incidences judiciously set, and the lightest of construction methods employed.
4-Site micro acrobatic model and charger
These ready to fly RC planes come complete with everything needed to fly contained in the box. This includes a transmitter, charger, motor and the aircraft itself. Oftentimes the charger is built right into the transmitter, with a short cord and charging jack used to plug into the fuselage. Some models have the flight battery permanently installed in the aircraft body. Others, such as the ParkZone RC aircraft, use a small removable battery for longer flight times.
RF and IR control
Much originality is applied to the concept of these ready to fly models. Some use infrared (IR) guidance, while others use radio frequency (RF) control. Pilot input varies from two to four channels. Some aircraft represent flying wings (Cyclone), others use no moving control surfaces but rather differential thrust for control (Aero Ace), while some aircraft are fully acrobatic with four channels of fully proportional control inputs (4-Site biplane).
Cyclone foam flying wing with IR control
Rotorcraft flyers have become a central part of the revolution in ready to fly RC planes. You can purchase ready to fly helicopters with a tail rotor (Razor) or twin rotor helos (Fire Strike). There are even UFO flying saucer radio control models. These types of advanced designs did not even exist until 2008 or so.
ParkZone Cessna 210
ParkZone aircraft really got the ball rolling on micro ready to fly RC aircraft with their incredible Cessna 210. The C-210 sort of took everyone by surprise. Small indoor models of this nature were always viewed as tricky to fly and not at all practical. The average modeler just did not have the skills, tools or flight hardware to make an easy to fly model of this size.
ParkZone Cessna 210 RTF micro model plane
ParkZone did their homework and came up with a foam design that handled well for any pilot and was affordable. It turns out there is a huge, untapped market for these ready to fly RC planes. And that would be RC pilots in the areas of the world that get cold during the winter (or summer, if you are south of the equator) and cannot fly their RC models as they would normally do when the weather is warmer.
ParkZone models opened up this world of indoor RC flight to pilots worldwide. No more worries about cold weather or wind. Model pilots searched out local indoor flying facilities and found numerous examples from gym halls to indoor golfing domes. As these RTF models were very affordable, people would obtain several for their personal fleets.
Ideal for indoor flight
These micro RC planes are lightweight, thus minimizing damage when they bump into wall or each other. A further fortunate advance was the advent of 2.4 GHz radio technology that allowed interference free flying. You can now take your ready to fly RC airplane into the air whenever you wished without having the wait for a radio frequency to open up.
In summary, the ready availability of practical and affordable ready to fly radio control model planes has opened a new world to the RC airplane pilot, both beginner and old hand. You can purchase one of these models and be airborne in minutes. Aircraft range from relaxing slow fliers to scale models to fully acrobatic airplanes. And perhaps best of all is the ability to fly year round, and not just during the months of the year when the weather outside permits you to get to your local club’s model airfield.