Remote-Control Airplanes : AROUND HOME : Notes on Remote-Control Airplanes and Steamer Chairs

THEY SWOOP AND dive, roll and climb; they race and battle for supremacy of the air; if they were any bigger they could probably carry freight. Remote-control airplane kits are the next best thing to being in the cockpit.

A small plane has a 24-inch wingspan. Larger models are built to one-quarter scale. All remote-control aircraft are kits, but how much the owner must do depends on the kind and cost of the kit. Some of the more expensive ARF beauties (as in Almost Ready to Fly) are in the $2,000 to $2,500 price range and require a minimum of work, usually only installing the engine and radio. For less money and more work, a beginner can purchase a “scratch build-up” kit for less than $100, one with a few vital pieces and detailed instructions. It probably won’t include battery and recharger (or gas engine), electrical systems or finishing materials, and it requires complete assembly.

Some remote-control airplanes are powered by glow fuel, also known as model-airplane gas. The remote controls vary in sophistication from two to four functions, the latter including altitude, rudder, aileron (wing movement) and throttle. This means the plane can do rolls, loops and dips with the smooth soar and glide of a full-size jet instead of simple left-right and up-down movements.

These planes require almost as much single-minded dedication as Air Force fighters. Once he’s made the sizable initial investment, an operator must be prepared to spend many hours constructing the flying machine. “It took me two months to make a glider,” says Max Levin of Frank’s Hobby Shop in Orange, “but somebody with more experience could take just a week.”

Once the plane has been constructed, the fun begins: learning how to get it in the air and keep it there.

Several publications deal with remote-control aircraft: Radio Control Modeler in Sierra Madre, Model Airplane News in Mt. Morris, Ill., Model Builder Magazine in Newport Beach, and Model Aviation, published by the Academy of Model Aeronautics in Reston, Va.

Hobby shops carry remote-control airplanes, including Frank’s Hobby Shop in Orange, California Model Supply in Fullerton, Chuck’s Hobby Hangar in Reseda, MK Model Products in North Hollywood, the Hobby Place in West Los Angeles, the Flying Machine and the Model Center, both in Torrance, Channel Hobbies in San Pedro, Robin’s Hobby Service in Glendale, and Montrose Hobby in Montrose.