5. How to fly a RC plane model

By now, you've learned something about RC plane kits, design and construction and the controller. Now is the time to learn something about flying technique. First you have to take into account the weather conditions. Preferred weather would be calm, meaning no wind. If you are a beginner i would recommend flying while there's no wind, because the wind can make things really complicated:) If you get involved with this hobby and buy a RC plane, I recommend you closely read the manual. The flying principles are the same for all the planes but some details may vary,and also it gives you instructions (checklist) what to do before takeoff, so you should pay attention to that. I'll give you a basic example. The glow-plug engine plane needs to be started first, usually done buy pulling a small string on the engine (like you start a chainsaw) while an electric engine does not.

Having done all that you're ready for your first takeoff. Hopefully you found some area where you have enough space to practice. Now comes the fun part:) Make sure you've checked everything, and also it would probably be a good idea to be alone while practicing to avoid unwanted situations:)

Put your plane down on the ground, take a few steps back and add throttle. Remember, like i said, the controls feel sensitive so keep it gently. RC planes accelerate fast and it can take off really fast. When the RC plane start rolling pull gently on the pitch control to get it airborne. Okay, pause now. Let's stop here for a moment. Now that the RC plane is in the air you can decrease the throttle a bit, but not too much you have to maintain enough speed to keep it airborne. Remember when I said that the rudder control will be combined with the bank control? Well, this is how you make a turn: roll a plane a bit and at the same time add a little rudder to the same side. This means, if you roll the plane to the right, also turn the rudder to right. You have to remember while doing this you have to also control the pitch, you don't want to crash you brand new RC plane:)

Also keep in mind, the RC plane might look fast and hard to control, and you'll probably have some trouble with it at first, but think of it as riding a bike. It takes some time to get the hang of it, but when you do, you'll fly it without even thinking about it. And this is also fun, the challenge of you're first flight, all the doubts or fears you might have had will disappear really fast!!