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Radio Control (RC) Flying FAQ



Frequently Asked Questions about Radio Control (RC) Flying.

This FAQ about Radio Control (R/C) Flying was compiled and written by Shamim Mohamed shamim@math.isu.edu with numerous contributions by others.

-01 Should I start with powered flight, or with a glider?
Depends on your preferences. I prefer gliders; that's where I started. ...
-02 Are there any organisations etc. I can join for information? (RC flying)
Ask at your local hobby shop---there may be a club in your neighbourhood....
-03 Since a trainer needs only 2 or 3 channels, should I get one ofthe cheap radio systems?
Don't bother with the cheap 2 or 3 channel sets---get a 4-ch system....
-04 What is a "1991" system? (RC flying)
Strongly recommended! A 1991 system is so named because in 1991 ...
-05 What about R/C rocket powered airplanes?
Rocket power for R/C aircraft is strictly regulated by the AMA; however,...
-06 Buying and Building (RC flying)
>Should I start with plans and build my own plane from scratch, buy a ...
-07 Learning to Fly (RC flying)
The most important point, one which cannot be overstressed:...
-08 Gliders (RC flying)
A 2-channel (rudder+elevator) polyhedral [see below] glider is just ...
-09 Are most gliders hand launched, or do they have a small engine to getthem up? (RC flying)
Gliders are usually launched by a hi-start---a section of rubber ...
-10 How do sailplanes stay up? (RC flying - gliders)
Since a sailplane has no engine, it follows that it must always ...
-11 Costs (RC flying - gliders)
>What kind of cost am I looking at for a solid training glider ...
-12 Where can I mail-order stuff from? (RC flying)
Try Tower Hobbies (1 800 637 4989) and Sheldon's (1 800 228 3237) [...
-13 Powered (gas) (RC flying)
Even though wet power is called gas, it's not the same as ...
-14 I didn't know that you could put an electric motor and batteries in an airplane. Isn't that kind of heavy? (RC flying - Electric Flight)
Modern NiCd batteries are pretty amazing. You can charge them in ...
-15 What are the advantages and disadvantages of electric flight compared to wet power? (RC flying)
Electric power systems are heavier for a given power output. This ...
-16 What is the best way to get started in electric flight? (RC flying)
That depends on what you want to do and where you're starting from....
-17 What are the elements of an electric power system? (RC flying)
The power system includes a battery, a motor, a control, and wiring. ...
-18 What do the various letters used to refer to NiCd cells mean?
A: SC is the basic cell. SC cells will take fast charging and ...
-19 What support equipment do I need? (RC flying - Electric Flight)
You need a charger of some sort. If you are using six or seven cells, ...
-20 How are motor sizes specified? (RC flying - Electric Flight)
Motors are traditionally specified by a system which attempts to ...
-21 What's a cobalt motor and why would I want one? (RC flying - Electric Flight)
Rare-earth magnets, of which the most common type is samarium cobalt, ...
-22 Where can I get this stuff? (RC flying - Electric Flight)
Electric equipment is somewhat specialized, and most hobby shops aren't ...
-23 How hard is flying heli models? (RC flying - Helicopters)
Getting the hang of flying an R/C heli is a fairly challenging undertaking....
-24 What are some good helicopters to consider? (RC flying - Helicopters)
There are several good helicopters on the market. It's a bit like ...
-25 Price to get going? (RC flying - Helicopters)
The helicopter itself will cost from $250 to $400 for a good starter heli....
-26 What are some good books? (RC flying - Helicopters)
There are two excellent books. Paul Tradelius's book (available ...
-27 What accessories should I get? (RC flying - Helicopters)
There are a million accessories that you can buy. There are a relative ...
-28 What about electrics? (RC flying - Helicopters)
There are a couple of pretty good electric helis on the market. One ...
-29 What is cyclic? Collective? (RC flying - Helicopters)
On most R/C helis (and full-scale helis for that matter), the main ...
-30 What is gyroscopic precession? (RC flying - Helicopters)
This is a counter-intuitive aspect of helicopters, that even many ...
-31 What do the servos control? (RC flying - Helicopters)
There are usually five servos on an R/C heli. One controls throttle, ...
-32 What is the use of gyros and how do they help? (RC flying - Helicopters)
The gyro is positioned so that it senses yaw. It then feeds small ...
-33 How about fixed-pitch versus collective helis? (RC flying - Helicopters)
Helicopters with collective are now inexpensive and reliable. ...
-34 Radios (RC flying - Helicopters)
How many channels do you need to control a heli and why?...
-35 Flying (RC flying - Helicopters)
What's the deal on auto-rotation?...
-36 Some Aerodynamics (RC flying)
The aircraft can rotate around three axes: the fore-and-aft axis (or ...
-37 The rec.models.rc ftp site
Nur Iskander Taib has been kind enough ...
-38 Other Information (RC flying)
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