Scale RC Aircraft are Fun to Fly and Look Great!
Consider adding some scale RC aircraft to your flying fleet
Nose of 1912 Blackburn monoplane RC design
Historically, scale RC aircraft were considered something exotic that only a special breed of RC pilot could build, own and operate. Design problems could be challenging. Back in the day of gas powered model aircraft, where essentially all RC aircraft were built by the owner from RC aircraft plans, this line of thought was more or less correct. It was unusual to see a scale RC model aircraft and motor on your club flight line, and folks noticed whenever a scale RC aircraft took to the skies.
Demoiselle radio control scale model airplane
That has all changed today. With the ready availability of high quality ready to fly aircraft, scale RC aircraft are available for the every day RC pilot. Pre-built aircraft come out of the factory fully tested, and the jig assembly process produces a light weight, strong and fully aligned scale RC aircraft. A lot of the headaches encountered by the aspiring scale pilot in the past concerned a realistic RC model that was usually overweight, with flaws in the precise alignment process required for a well flying model.
Almost Ready to Fly scale models can improve flying skills
In addition, the scale pilots of yesteryear spent a great deal of time studying construction plans and building their specialized aircraft, and not enough time practicing basic flying skills. So you can anticipate what often happened. An RC pilot is taking their new pride and joy for an initial test flight. The scale builder has spent a great amount of time in the workshop creating a scale masterpiece. They have spent little time practicing RC flight. The engine finally gets started. The scale RC aircraft may be a bit overweight, and in any event will be a challenge on tracking straight for the first takeoff. Sure enough, as on any test flight, little things going wrong can add up quickly. And the final result for new scale RC aircraft was often some sort of unhappy crash during that initial flight.
DH Moth almost ready to fly RC airplane
Happily, this sequence of events does not happen nearly as frequently today. With the availability of affordable, high quality ready to fly scale RC aircraft, the scale builder can easily get in a lot of quality stick time flying an RC model that will emulate flight of the aircraft they are constructing. In addition, today’s RC aircraft computer flight simulators provide the RC pilot with a wealth of experience flying a wide variety of scale RC aircraft, to include types that closely match the flying characteristics of your own model design.
Scale RC aircraft, in their need to follow as closely as possible the outline and dimensions of their full scale counterparts, can often inadvertently inherit poor flying characteristics. For example, the tail surface area of a full size aircraft is usually too small for a scale RC model. Thus, it is important to enlarge tail surfaces to help minimize controllability challenges and employ model building tips. As always with replicas of older aircraft, use coordinated ailerons and rudder to minimize adverse yaw when turning.
World War I Nieuport scale model biplane - note colorful airplane wheels
Keep your models light
Tied in with the full to model size dimension issues, excess weight must always be monitored on any scale RC aircraft. This applies to RC conversions of Guillow model airplane kits. Work at all times to minimize excess weight on your model. Consider a slight increase in the model’s wing area to compensate for any extra weight as you develop your plane design. Keep in mind that a heavier scale RC aircraft can be flown, but the performance will suffer as compared to a similar model that is lighter. If you suspect your scale model airplane will be heavy, keep the speed a bit higher on take off and landing, and avoid abrupt, aggressive turns. The Air Camper is an ideal example of a lightweight balsa model kit.
One very elegant solution to the challenge of well flying scale RC aircraft is met with the new generation of lightweight foam RTF RC planes. These scale foam RC models come in a variety of sizes, and they have revolutionized scale indoor RC flight. ParkZone has an extensive line of high quality, affordable and very well mannered indoor scale RC aircraft. Examples include the Cessna 210, Sukhoi and P-51 Mustang. These scale RC aircraft look fantastic, and truly come ready to fly right out of the box. Due to their foam construction, there are no concerns at all with the scale RC aircraft being too heavy.