First, you should know what model planes are and how many kinds are there. Model planes are flying or non-flying models of existing planes. These models can be scaled to size or just ordinary models. They are made from metal, balsa wood, fiber or foam glass and plastic. There are two main categories of model planes--static and flying models. The static ones are non flying and mostly meant for display purposes. The flying type of model planes can further be divided into three types. The first one is free flight, the second one is control line flying and the last one is remote controlled model. The free flight model is designed to fly without aids like cables or remote control. The control line flying model has a cable or sometimes two, which are attached on the wings and the held by the pilot. This is also a free flying plane but the pilot will make sure that the plane won't fly off. The remote controlled types have a radio device that sends signals to the receiver built in the plane. This type is more fun since the pilot gets to control it fully.
The free flight models mostly use an elastic motor to propel them. The motor is usually an elastic band which is tightly wound before starting and on release - it propels the airplane to motion. Another type of engine is the gas engine. This type uses the combustion engine technique. Compressed Carbon dioxide gas propels the plane. There is also another type of engine, the glow engine. This type employs the same internal combustion method as in a normal car only that the engine is a very small version of the real one. The engine uses a mixture of methanol and nitro methane, which are slow burning gases and some kind of oil lubricant.
Once you choose the plane you would like to fly, you should now get the accessories in place. These accessories will include the remote control radio device, the batteries and the battery chargers. While selecting the remote control for your plane, always buy one with smooth controls to avoid jamming while flying. Then, you should get reliable batteries for your plane. Batteries used by model planes are not the ordinary ones we use for our household gadgets. There are three main types of batteries one can use on the model planes. These types are Nickel-Metal Hydride (NiMH), Nikel-cadmium (NiCAD), and Lithium Poly cells which is the latest type to come into use. These batteries come with chargers. Buy a charger that takes a short time to charge your batteries, though it will be costlier that the normal charger. With all the equipment and knowledge, you are ready to get off the ground. |
