Moving Up to RC Jet Aircraft

You’re probably familiar with the idea of flying an RC airplane, but did you realize that you can actually fly radio-controlled jet planes?  As you might imagine, they aren’t exactly beginner fare on the RC menu. But with the right amount of experience, they can be an incredible amount of fun.

The usual choice for getting started in RC jet flying is the electric ducted fan, or EDF model.  The propulsions system centers on a multi-bladed propeller that spins at extremely high RPM. The propeller forces air at high speed and pressure into a funnel-shaped unit to generate thrust. The market is starting to see a few EDF RC jets in ready-to-fly kits, but most models still require some work before getting into the air. While this design is certainly not for the first time flier, anyone who has some hours flying conventional RC planes should be able to handle the EDF RC jet.

Believe it or not, there are actually people flying true gas turbine jet models using radio control. This activity may be something to which you can aspire, but you better have lots of cash stashed away. These hard-core RC modelers easily put over a thousand dollars into the scale jet aircraft itself, without considering radio gear and controllers. Flying these top-end models takes lots of skill, and you don’t get second chances on bad landings.

Some experts recommend starting with a “pusher” RC jet. The pusher design incorporates a propeller behind the main aircraft body. Although this doesn’t give the look of a jet airplane, the operation and flight characteristics are very similar. This is the perfect way to get started on the path to flying model jet aircraft via radio control.

If you have some apprehension about moving in this direction, you might want to consider getting a flight simulator. You can find several versions of PC flight simulator software that will let you hook up an actual radio control transmitter and get used to controlling various types of aircraft before you actually put your money on the runway.