It is easy to be put off the whole idea of flying radio controlled airplanes.

If you go fishing, for the first time and do not catch a fish or try golf and only succeed in digging a large hole on the first tee, you may say ‘never again !' To avoid getting fed up on day one, when it comes to flying rc planes, may I offer some advice.

When I first got into rc flying, the only way to get airborne, unless you had lots of money, was to build your own plane. It is the smells I remember. The candle wax rubbed onto the plans to stop parts sticking to them when freshly glued or the dope we used for shrinking the tissue that covered the flying surfaces ... ahh ... those were the days.

Today there is an inexpensive alternative that will get you flying in hours rather than weeks.

Crash resistant materials, light weight batteries and powerful electric motors have combined to produce low cost, 2 channel rc planes that anyone can learn on. RTF - ready to fly or out-of-the-box models are, I feel, ideal for beginners for the following reasons.

1  Speed - you can be flying in a couple of hours after you plane arrives

2  In some cases they come complete with a flight simulator, that you can play through your PC, to practice on !

3  Modern electric rc planes are safer and quieter than those with internal combustion engines.

4  They are made with crash resistant materials.

5  High wings and propellers reduce damage.

6  Slower flying gives more thinking time.

7  You can buy a good quality model almost ready to fly for less than £25

8  2 channel models give you all the control you need.

9  They will give you 10-15 minutes of flight time - more than enough.

It is difficult to fly a radio controlled airplane of this type without a big grin on your face.

Once you have built up a few hours with your new machine you could move onto 4 channel models, acrobatic planes or how about a 70 mph electric powered jet fighter !

Don't misunderstand me I am all for building rc planes from scratch, very satisfying, but modern out-of-the-box models get you flying quickly and inspire to tackle more advanced stuff leading to a lifetime of pleasure.

Robert Oak