RC flight simulators have actually been around as long as computers have been in homes. Early systems were pretty basic and somewhat lackluster. That was mainly a fault of the technology available. There just wasn’t enough processing power to recreate something as complex as real-time flight. Fast forward to today, and you’ll find a whole new world. Processing power, memory, graphics capabilities and data storage have finally developed to the point that a realistic RC flight sim is possible.

The basic idea behind radio control flight simulators is that instead of communicating with an airplane, your RC transmitter sends control information to your computer. As you operate your radio control transmitter, an accurately rendered computer model of an airplane responds on the screen. With scenery and realistic sounds, this virtual airplane flies as if it was real and you were outside controlling it.

The advantages of RC flight simulators are obvious. First of all, you’re using your own transmitter, which means whatever you learn inside during the simulation should easily transfer to the real flight line outside. As you control your virtual plane, you will learn what makes it soar and what makes it crash. Of course, that’s an advantage in itself. A crash is not a real crash, so there’s no broken airplane to go scoop up off the field. No more slinking back to your car after you’ve just arrowed your latest pride and joy into the dirt.

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 them.

First of all, clubs are a great place to get expert advice from people who have actually experienced what they’re talking about. I don’t know if you’ve noticed, but manuals are getting less and less helpful. Especially as manufacturing continues to move offshore, the chances of getting a manual that’s complete and readable are pretty slim.

An RC flight club is also an excellent place to get advice about which plane to buy. When you put everyone together, as a group these people have purchased and tried practically every type of plane available. They know which ones work well and which ones don’t. They can tell you which models are great for newbies, and which ones are better left in the hands of experts.

If you can get hooked up with a local RC flight club, then you will likely be an ace radio control pilot in the quickest possible way. You can avoid the trial and error that costs money when you crash. And  in many cases, these expert club members are happy to share their expertise at little to no cost.