One way that pilots in the real world hone their skills without crashing is by using flight simulators. From the space shuttle to fighters to general aviation, there are simulators that let you train in different conditions and in different scenarios, all without putting a real aircraft at risk. Fine, you say. This is old information. But did you know that there are flight simulators for radio control aircraft? There are, and they are quickly gaining popularity. RC flight simulators have actually been around as long as computers have been in homes. Early systems were pretty basic and somewhat...

Many radio control airplane beginners make the mistake of trying to learn everything alone, and then head out to the nearest field to show off their newly developed skills. I suppose with the continued development of RC flight simulators, it might be possible to do things this way. Unlikely, but possible. There’s a better way than going it alone. You need to meet up with some other radio control lovers at an RC flight club. If you live in a town of any size, chances are there is an RC flight club near you. There are lots of great reasons to be part of a club. Let’s look at some of...

If you’re thinking about getting into RC helicopters, you have two basic choices when it comes to the aircraft itself. Should it be electric, or should it be powered by gas? Electric RC helicopters are especially popular with beginners because they tend to be easier to fly. You have to admit, RC flying isn’t very fun when you spend all of your time crashing. And, there’s always the possibility you’ll damage your new toy.  With an electric helicopter, there are fewer channels to control. As a beginner, you don’t want to be overwhelmed with controlling too many aspects of...

If you interested in RC helicopters purely for the enjoyment of flying, then you should probably stick with electric RC helicopters. But if you are more interested in pursuing a serious hobby and learning more about the actual dynamics of helicopter flight, you may want to consider developing the skills for gas RC helicopter flying. Make no mistake about it: gas RC helicopters are on a whole different level than electric-powered models. They require more money to get started, more money to keep going, more focus and concentration to fly and more maintenance to keep them flying. Gas RC helicopters are...

When it comes to classifying RC hobby cars, the major distinction to consider is electric or gas. Specifically, are the cars powered by a rechargeable battery, or do they run on fuel. Each type has its own advantages and disadvantages. Let’s take a look at some of the basic differences. Electric cars are a good choice for beginners. There is not a lot of care requirements and almost no maintenance duties need be performed to keep them running. Unless, of course, you count plugging in the battery charger as maintenance. Stopping the fun to charge your battery is not something you want to do on a...

Some RC modelers claim that there is nothing more fun than racing RC nitro trucks. There seems to be something special about racing trucks at breathtaking speeds, especially off-road. Let’s look at some of the aspects of this division of radio-control racing. The most powerful RC trucks run on nitro. Nitro is a special mixture of fuels (nitromethane, methanol and oil) that is used to power the biggest and fastest RC models. The step up from electric to nitro in terms of power and speed is huge. You can have lots of fun with electric RC models, even trucks, but once you race with nitro,...