Build the Blackburn indoor electric RC airplane. Builds in a few days, flies great. CAD plans available here!
FREE Chickadee fuselage plan PDF download here!
How to Design an RC Model Airplane
Tips on designing your first flying model airplane
All plans on this website drawn with TurboCAD software
Electro Aviator RC airplane plan fuselage by TurboCAD
Electro Aviator frame before covering
A wonderful aspect of flying radio control model airplanes is having the chance to create an original RC airplane plan design and draw up the RC airplane plans, then build and fly this original model aircraft. There is nothing quite as satisfying as seeing an airplane you have personally designed from RC airplane plan take to the air for the first time. Surprisingly, it is not that difficult to lay out an aircraft design and prepare a set of RC airplane plans. Following are some thoughts for the aspiring RC airplane plans designer.
The first set of skills needed to become an RC airplane plan designer is the ability to build a basic model airplane from a kit. Constructing an airplane from a kit is followed by learning how to construct a model airplane directly from RC airplane plan, without the parts, supplies and prefabrication of a kit. Many radio control model airplanes flying these days come from an Almost Ready to Fly (ARF) package. There is very little actual building or construction skills gained with getting an ARF design airborne. ARF aircraft are fine for use as initial models when learning how to fly. But any RC airplane plans designer must understand how to construct a model airplane from the building board up, and that can only come with actually building a few airplanes from a kit.
The very complete Demoiselle assembly manual
There are many kits that come with informative illustrated construction manuals that complement the detailed RC airplane plan. A search of various manufacturer websites will usually show a sample of these construction notes. Use these basic kits to help teach yourself the fundamentals of building a model airplane’s fuselage, wing, and tail surfaces, for background with your future RC airplane plans. Keep notes on any unique or innovative building techniques that you can modify or incorporate into your future RC airplane plan designs.
Inside the Demoiselle plane assembly manual
One of the most fascinating indoor electric model airplane kits I have encountered is the Sig Demoiselle. The Sig Demoiselle kit creates an open frame lightweight balsa fuselage and wing structure. The very complete kit also contains a highly detailed photo-illustrated instruction manual and a clear set of RC airplane plan that combine to create a superb flying model airplane. Anyone thinking of drafting a set of RC airplane plans would do well to build and fly a Sig Demoiselle. The aircraft contains an invaluable collection of indoor electric flight building techniques, and is a joy to fly.
Once you are comfortable building a model RC aircraft from a kit, the next step is to build a model airplane solely from a set of RC airplane plan. There are a wide variety of RC airplane plans from various model magazines and plan services. Model airplane magazines often include a set of pull-out RC airplane plans within the magazine that you can enlarge to full size. You will need to carefully study the RC airplane plans to obtain the necessary balsa wood, plywood and fittings to construct the finished airplane. Establishing a bill of materials from an RC airplane plans provides a solid foundation for your future RC airplane plans design skills.
Plans for my first RC airplane design, the Yankee Mike, published in July 1998 RC Modeler magazine
Yankee Mike plans built RC model airplane
For your initial airplane building project, select an RC airplane plans that uses fairly normal construction materials and techniques. Take note of all the information presented on the RC airplane plans. The idea with any set of RC airplane plans is that all the information needed to build the model airplane is on that plan somewhere. For example, you will need to determine wood sizes, patterns of formers and ribs, landing gear details, and incidences. There may be a construction article that should be viewed as a complement to the RC airplane plans. As you gain experience building model airplanes from plans, you will instinctively know what steps are needed to build the final model from the RC airplane plans alone.
Simple balsa structure of Chickadee fuselage
Once you are comfortable building a model airplane from a kit followed by a set of RC airplane plans, the next step is preparing an original RC airplane plans design yourself. I think it always best to “crawl, walk then run” with these sorts of challenges.
There are two initial tasks you will have to accomplish at this point, and they can be done in parallel. The first item is sketching out a rough outline of what you want your airplane to look like, and the second item is learning some basic drafting skills to actually draw the RC airplane plans.
Initial hand drawn sketch of Chickadee outline
Drawing the initial outlines of your first RC airplane plans design is fun. For your initial design, I think it best to keep the airplane layout somewhat conventional. Avoid a biplane arrangement for the wings, a pusher engine, canard, etc. Take note of the rough dimensions of a model airplane design (kit or plans) that flew well for you, and use these figures as a basis for your initial RC airplane plans. These dimensions can include the wingspan, nose and tail moments (length of nose and tail), wing and tail surface areas, and landing gear placement.
The Blackburn is an easy to build scale RC model airplane
The RC plane plans Chickadee is a great first build model from construction plans, and can be used to learn to fly RC as a trainer. Once you have a Chickadee built, the next step is a Blackburn plane scale RC model. Plans - with FREE shipping - available here.
RC airplane plan page 2
RC Airplane Plan