RC Aircraft Modelling

a guest post by Felix Mansarda for Aircraft Modelling Universe

For a start, a radio-controlled scale model aircraft is one that is controlled remotely by use of a hand-held transmitter. It is a scale model; meaning it mimics but is certainly not the real-life aircraft. There are exceptions to this rule though. Some like the reconnaissance are purposely made for use. The transmitter sends signals to a receiver which in turn remotely controls the servers on the aircraft to adjust the rudders and wing flaps.

These aircraft come in various sizes and shapes. Some are very basic. They only serve the primary purposes of flights and maneuverability. Some, however, contains several other features much the same way as the real-life airplanes.

They are thus attentive-to-details and serve several purposes. They may, for instance, be used to take photos, film shoots, and aid in making documentaries and historical films. They are increasingly being rendered obsolete due to the continued adoption of the Computer-generate Imagery technology.
Several clubs and organizations that are dedicated to this aircraft modeling hobby do exist the world over. They bring on board all those who are passionate and enthusiastic about these issues. These models look much like simple toys. They are however very sophisticated given the incorporation of high precision and excellent aerodynamics.



They are hence not for the faint-hearted. You will generally have to invest a great deal of money and time to build one from scratch. If in the likelihood such a model crashes in its maiden flight, the end result would be serious frustrations and complicated investigations to ascertain what exactly went wrong.

Let’s assume for argument ‘sake that someone builds such a scale model, which is an exact replica of his favorite airplane from scratch. This would generally entail examining the designs and plans of the original, airplanes thoroughly. He will then have to decide which materials are suited for the job.
Such materials have to be light and very strong to guarantee awesome feedbacks. This is not to mention that the material should also be malleable enough to be shaped with ease. Lastly, he too should factor the costs. Constructing a real-life aircraft is no mean feat and involves great cost implications. After carrying out the relevant research and assembling all the parts and components together, the construction process finally commences.

The person constructing the plane has to pay keen attention to critical details like the angle of the wings and the accuracy of the body. These two variations have a strong impact on the aerodynamics of the scale model airplane and subsequently, its overall performance.

After constructing the raw structures, the person has now to decide how the aircraft is going to be powered. Is it by internal combustion, jet, or electricity? The weight, cost, and the size of the propulsion will determine to a great extent the suitability of the chosen mechanism.

Other than this, the weight-to-size ratio also impacts the aerodynamics of the aircraft as a whole. Since these aircraft lack miniature pilots, they give you plenty of spaces to put in place a servo and radio receiver.

These aircraft modeling steps are not without their fair share of problems. Indeed, you will have to put in home engineering and great ingenuity to generate the desired outcomes. Next time you see a finished product that is good looking, you should stop and think of the engineering that was used to manufacture it.

Lastly, the plane has to be flown once it has been manufactured. For a long time, I have always thought that these planes do not fly as well as they ought to. I have however come to learn that other than being difficult to fly remotely; several external factors like wind determine the flight paths of these aircraft so much more than they do the real aircraft. In case you find the time, kindly go and observe the radio-controlled aircraft models that are currently in operation. It is a fascinating experience indeed!