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Regardless of what or how you fly, the basic components for model flying are the aero plane, engine, fuel, and radio equipment. 

1)      The Aeroplane

Can be scratch-built from plans or, the very popular, Almost Ready to Fly kits (ARFs).  The ARFs are kits that are partially factory constructed and require a few hours of assembly.  This usually involves gluing and positioning of the radio gear and engine.  The kits normally come complete with fuel tank, wheels and control attachments.  Additional equipment required to complete the model are the engine, servos, battery, switch and receiver. A third type of plane available are the Park Flyer range which are usually of a light, robust, foam construction (Expanded Polypropylene or EPP).  This type of kit requires very little assembly and, in most instances, is electric powered, and comes complete with motor and all the components for flying the model. 

The types of aeroplanes available includes gentle and predictable trainers,  true to life scale models, vintage, classic civilian and war planes through to the competition level pattern ships.

Size wise, aircraft are measured by wing span and engine size.   The averaged sized sports aircraft has a wing span of between 1.2m to 1.8m.

2)      Engine

Glow fuel powered engines are currently the most widely used.  They run on a mixture of nitro methane, methanol and lubricant.  These engines are highly efficient and reliable.  Larger models are powered by petrol engines.  Electric motors are becoming more and more popular.


 

3)      Radio Gear

The radio equipment includes the servos, receiver and transmitter.  Modern electronics has enabled the manufacture of smaller, lighter more responsive and more affordable radio gear. Servos are the components that move the control surfaces such as ailerons, rudder and elevator.  The signal to move is picked up by the on board receiver from the control movements by the pilot on their transmitter.  A model aeroplane flies in exactly the same manner as a full sized aircraft – aileron movement controls roll for turning and elevator controls pitch for climbing and descending.  In New Zealand the most commonly used frequency bands for model aircraft are 35MHz and 40 MHz .  In a club situation, a peg board system is operated to ensure that only one user at a time on the same frequency can fly. This avoids the possibility of frequency clashes where two radios on the same frequency are turned on at the same time causing glitches or loss of control of the plane in the air, most often with disastrous results. Only the holder of the frequency peg can turn their transmitter on.

The latest technology with radio equipment is the availability of  2.4 GHz systems. These systems have no requirement for frequency control, as they are spread-spectrum devices.  When turned on, the transmitter will seek out an available band and lock that into the transmitter for the duration of the flight. However, they must still be used in accordance with club rules and most clubs will require you to use the pegboard and take a plain generic peg. The purpose of this is to ensure that good frequency control habits remain in place.

Learning to Fly

As with life sized aeroplanes, there is a lot to learn and take in with mastering flying and getting the plane back on the ground in one piece.  A model aircraft is not a toy and is potentially a dangerous and lethal object. It is recommended that anybody starting in the sport should learn to fly through their local model aero club.  These are listed on the Model Flying New Zealand website (nzmaa.org.nz). 

Most clubs have instructors and their own training aircraft to start you off.  This is usually done on the “buddy system” where two radio transmitters are linked together via a cable. This enables the student to control the aircraft but, when necessary, the instructor can take over control.   

There are also several very good model aeroplane flight simulators available which operate well on home computers.  The graphics and response of the modern flight sims are so realistic it’s almost as good as flying the real thing! These are available through most model shops. Some Clubs also have these available for hire at reasonable rates. 

The flight simulators are a very valuable tool as they give the pilot the choice of many different aircraft, fields and flying conditions using authentic transmitter devices. 

Experienced fliers also use the flight sims to fine tune their aerobatic maneuvers or to brush up if weather or other commitments don’t allow time out on the field.  And, of course, if you crash on the flight sim you don’t have to do any repairs!