There are Countless Types of RC Airplanes!

"Of the many types of RC airplanes available,
find out what interests you the most!"

There are RC airplanes that you can fly inside your house, and some people fly RC airplanes that are darn near as big as your house!

There are cheap RC airplanes as well as very expensive RC airplanes. Some are designed for beginners while others require years of experience. Some airplanes can be flown in your backyard while others require very large open spaces.

No matter how much experience you have or what type of airplane you desire, I guarantee there is an airplane out there with your name on it!

Park Flyers

Park flyers are small electric powered airplanes that can be flown just about everywhere. Many come ready to fly right out of the box. Others require some assembly. These types of RC airplanes are a great for learning how to fly! They are cheaper and more durable than balsa type airplanes. I personally learned to fly with a park flyer. I went through several sets of wings in the process. If you choose to learn with a park flyer make sure there are spare parts available, because you will need them.

Park flyers aren’t only for beginners. There is a wide selection of park flyers available for all skill levels. The beauty of park flyers is that they can be flown safely just about anywhere. This is really convenient if you don’t live near a flying field. Park flyers require less equipment and accessories than other types of RC airplanes. Click here for more examples of park flyers.

Mini & Micro RC Airplanes

Mini airplanes are small enough to be flown in small gymnasiums or warehouses. It's a blast to fly these little guys indoors, especially if your buddy is flying his at the same time! When flying indoors you can fly year around regardless of what the weather is like outside! It goes without saying that these types of RC airplanes are always powered by electric motors.

plantraco butterfly
Micro RC airplanes are small enough to be flown in your living room. Make sure all of your overhead fans are turned off because these little guys are tiny! These types of RC airplanes require specially designed tiny servos, receivers, and batteries. These incredibly small parts really drove up the cost of these airplanes when they first became available. The prices have come down considerably. These things are really awesome to fly! Especially if you have cats in the house. My cats love to try and bat it down! They have only succeeded once. There are also mini helicopters available.

Trainer Airplanes

These types of RC airplanes are specifically designed for beginners. Trainers are generally larger airplanes usually constructed from balsa wood. Trainers can be powered with either an electric motor or nitro-powered engine. Trainers are not toys and can be very dangerous. It is absolutely crucial that you have assistance from an experienced pilot when learning to fly with a trainer. Trainers come as Kits, RTF, and ARF forms.

Sport Airplanes

After you have mastered your trainer it is time to move on to a more challenging airplane. There are a wide variety of sport aerobatic airplanes to choose from. Most sport type planes are low wing airplanes that are capable of all kinds of aerobatic maneuvers. Some sport planes are very stable, only a small step up from a trainer. Others are very unstable making them very aerobatic.

Most of these types of RC airplanes can be flow with either a glow engine or an electric motor. In the past, these were only powered by glow engines due to the weight of the airplanes. Brushless motors and LiPo batteries have made it possible for electric motors to pull these airplanes just as good as nitro engines can.

Jet RC Airplanes

If you want an airplane that is unbelievably awesome then you want to get a jet! These types of RC airplanes fly very fast and require a tremendous amount of skill and experience. Most people use ducted air fans to power their jets.

Ducted fans basically consist of a tube and an electric or nitro powered fan that pushes air through the tube to produce thrust.

The airplane to the right is powered by a real turbine jet! These turbine engines alone can costs thousands of dollars, not counting the cost of the airplane and electronics. But these truly are a site to see! They look and sound just like a full scale jets. They even use jet fuel.

Scale RC Airplanes

These types of RC airplanes are replicas of full scale airplanes. There are two types of scale airplanes. A true scale airplane is identical to the full scale version. Some people put forth an enormous amount of time and effort to get every tiny detail of a true scale airplane correct. When they are finished you can’t tell the difference between it and the full scale version, except for the size. Heck, I’d be afraid to fly the darn thing after putting that much time and effort into it!

Most people have standoff scale airplanes. These types of RC airplanes look like the full scale airplane at a distance, but if you look closely you can see where the airframe has been slightly modified to improve the flight characteristics.

There are scale warbirds, scale biplanes, scale jets, scale aerobatic airplanes, scale sport airplanes, and more. Scale airplanes are available to replicate almost any full scale airplane. If you can’t find the scale airplane you are looking for, I am sure someone has the plans to build it from scratch.

Giant Scale airplanes are huge! To be considered "giant scale" the wingspan needs to be at least 80 inches long. Can you imagine flying an airplane this big! These types of RC airplanes normally use gasoline engines rather than nitro engines.

Foam RC Airplanes

There are many types electric foam airplanes available. Foam airplanes are small and cheap. They often times are “profile” airplanes, meaning the fuselage is flat. Foam airplanes are durable and can be repaired with glue quite easily. Brushless motors and LiPo batteries have made it possible for these little guys to have quite a bit of spunk! When the airplane can no longer be repaired, you simply remove the electronics and motor and strap it to another airplane. This is a great way to experiment with different types of airplanes without breaking the bank.