Here's how not to do it. Your new RC plane arrives, you rip open the box, glance at the manual , start putting it together, plug in the batteries, charge down to the local field, launch and ... splat ! Your pride and joy has had a violent coming together with the ground. Many of us have done this and it's understandable but if you curb your excitement and calm down there is a better way.

Always read the manufacturers manual first - that's right, cover to cover

Best not to fly alone, especially for the first few times, take someone along to help.

You may have built your model from scratch or have gone in for one of the excellent RTF (ready to fly) models that are now available. Either way these tips apply.

Place each index finger under the wingtips about 1/3rd back from the leading (front) edge of the wing. This is where the CG (centre of gravity) usually is and your plane should balance there. If all is well then your plane should be level or with the nose pointing slightly downwards. If it's pointing tail down - don't fly it yet ! Add weight to the nose, modelling clay is good, until the plane balances correctly.

Make sure that anything that needs to be secure is. For example wings and undercarriage

Control surfaces - rudder, ailerons, flaps etc should all be working properly.

If your plane has a motor, check that it is working O.K.

Switch on the transmitter, then the receiver, make sure that the antenna is not extended and walk backwards from your plane for about 10 metres (30 feet). Move the rudder stick as you walk and make sure that your planes rudder is working fine. If it's not working perfectly don't think about flying. Check that the batteries in your radio gear are OK, if that is not the problem you may be getting interference from other modellers - flying in these conditions will almost certainly lead to a crash

Test glide your model over long grass. Turn on the transmitter, then the receiver in the model, extend the antenna fully, check again to see if all control surfaces are working and gently launch at face height with the nose level or pointing slightly downwards into the wind. With your first flight a gentle breeze or no wind is best. If it's a windy day forget it !
Use the rudder to keep it straight and it should glide gracefully down into the grass.

Now for the powered flight ! Probably best to hand launch again, we will get to ground take-offs later. Do all the usual checks again. Make sure the transmitter and receiver are on, switch the engine to full power and launch as before. Hold the transmitter with both hands and control your plane with small stick movements. Gently does it with your maiden flight - no violent twists and turns.

Don't fly close to buildings, trees, people, power lines or yourself ! At the same time keep it close enough to make sure that you can see clearly what it's doing.

Always keep the transmitter antenna pointing upwards at least 45 degrees too, as this ensures maximum performance of the rc gear.

Your plane should be able to fly straight and level on it's own, if it doesn't then, if possible, adjust the ‘trim' tabs on the transmitter to fine tune it whilst in flight. Let the model fly on for a couple of seconds after trimming it to see what effect your ‘trimming' has had.

If your plane has an undercarriage and you have a smooth surface like tarmac you might want it to take-off from the ground. Taking off from grass is not usually a good idea. It must take off into the wind, stand behind it, turn the engine to full power and keep it straight with the rudder.

Land with plenty of battery power left and only land into the wind. Reduce engine power or switch it off all together as you come in, keeping it straight with the rudder. If you are not happy with the way things are going, go back to full power and try again as often as is needed - another reason for not stretching the batteries to the limit. All airplanes must be landed into wind, this is very important. Line the model up to where you want to land and reduce power or turn the engine off completely. Keeping it in a straight line using the rudder, let the model glide down in a smooth line until it touches the ground.

When your plane is coming towards you the controls will be kinda back-to-front but you will get used to it.

If things look like they are getting seriously out of control usually the best thing to do is to cut the motor. If your plane is trimmed right it should gently glide to the ground.

I keep mentioning the batteries but lack of electrical power is a very common cause of crashes. Make sure that they all have plenty of juice, just one dud can cause a lot of damage !

A radio controlled aeroplane is a model not a toy. They can fly quickly, sometimes very quickly, so you have a responsibility to others, yourself and your lovely plane !

Robert Oak