There are few hobbies that are as much fun as Remote Control Airplanes. It has been just a little over 100 years since the Wright Brothers had the first powered plane flight and today this art of flight can easily be had by hobbyists with just a little time and a little knowledge.

The hobby of RC Airplanes is an interesting one that has lots of options and opportunities. And you don't have to spend a whole lot of money to enjoy it or at least begin with it. I have some tips, guides, videos and helpful articles that will get you enjoying this wonderful hobby. Beginners Guide to RC Airplanes - A First Plane: The Megatech Night Flyer

NEW Store section of Micro Airplanes and Helicopters
. Micro RC Airplanes - Mini RC Airplanes - Micro RC Helicopters

Adventuring into a new hobby

New Article: How to get started in the hobby of RC Airplanes - So you want to give it a try but don't know where to start. I lay out what you should do right here. I have gone through the process of starting and learned some valuable things along the way.

UPDATE: I took the plane I crashed out for another fly! See how I did on my youtube channel here: Second Flight of the RC Airplane.

I mounted a video camera onto the bottom of the plane and took it out for a fly. And I crashed it! How badly do you think it got damaged? You can see the video footage here

New Tutorial - Starting an RC Airplane engine. There is a little bit to understand if you are new to the hobby. I have a complete tutorial that shows you how to fuel it up and start it. This also includes a video. How to Start an RC Airplane

I have started a new series of tutorials on gas powered arf airplanes and it includes videos. I take you through all the steps to building and flying a gas plane. The plane picture at left is a balsa wood arf and this is a pretty big plane. The fuselage is about four feet in length. Intro to Gas powered ARF planes

I have completed this plane and this series of tutorials on how to build one. It has four parts and you can jump to any of the four parts:

1. Unboxing and intro to the plane
2. Beginning the assembly
3. Finishing assembly including the gas tank and servos
4. Installing the Engine
5. Calibrating and testing the plane and servos

Bigger electric RC airplane. This one is a Japanese Zero. It has a wingspan of three feet and uses a powerful brushless engine. This is an upgrade to the Megatech Night Flyer 2. See more about this airplane and see information about how planes fly and how controllers work and the concepts of Yaw, Pitch and Roll here: The Japanese Zero RC Airplane and how RC Airplanes work - And here is a video I made showing this airplane coming out of the box and some short footage of me launching it off.

If you are looking for an inexpensive way to immediately begin in this hobby I have some recommendations for you for airplanes that can be purchased at Amazon.com. Edmund Scientifics also has some nice RC airplanes.

Megatech Night Flyer 2 Channel Illuminated Remote Control Airplane

The Megatech Night Flyer is an inexpensive and easy to start out with airplane. I have a complete tutorial on this airplane located here. I bought this plane, put it together and took it out for some flights. It is a nice way to start out in the hobby without having complexity or expense. It isn't a super duper airplane, it is just something inexpensive to get you started. I have a separate webpage and tutorial about this airplane

A Note from Will: I like this piper cub for beginners. It is a nice bridge between the easy planes and the bigger more committed airplanes. This takes about 20 minutes to assemble and it comes with everything you need. Thumbs up on this plane.

Variety of Planes and other Flying Vehicles

Build from the Ground UP

P-40E Warhawk .60 Gold Edition Kit I have had my eye on this particular plane and I may buy it. This is a build from parts kit. Lot of work but very rewarding.

A Note from Will about the Solo Star Trainer shown above. I have purchase this airplane and am creating a series of tutorials and videos about it. Introduction to gas powered rc airplanes

ARTICLES:

• RC Airplanes as a hobby
• About RC Airplane Simulators
• Mounting a Video camera to an RC Airplane
• Beginners Tips for building RC Airplanes
• Neat little tool: The Servo Driver

The HobbyZone Sports Cub S RC Airplane

• Everything you need to fly RC today
• SAFE technology from Horizon Hobby
• Recovery with the pull of a trigger with Panic Recovery mode
• Proportional 4-channel control with working throttle, rudder, elevator and aileron
• Steerable tail wheel for easy ground control

Start-Up Field Pack

• Sturdy cardboard construction Tote Box
• Includes manual fuel pump
• Two Hangar 9 glow plugs
• 4-way wrench
• Rechargeable glow driver with charger

Evolution Trainer Power System: A

This is the exact engine that I purchased and use in my plane, and in this tutorial. It is available on Amazon.