Electric RC Trainers

Electric RC trainers come either ready to fly or almost ready to fly. If you want to start flying right when you get the plane, then I recommend you choose a RTF model.

If you want a little assembly for your model airplane, then go with an ARF. There are also kits available and require building the plane from scratch out of balsa wood. Since beginners are usually the only ones buying electric rc trainers, I don’t see why they would want a kit that is complicated and requires expertise to build.

To help you find some electric rc trainers, I have made some recommendations below. All rc trainer planes listed below are Ready To Fly and are electrically powered.
With its classic civil aviation lines, “everything you need” packaging and super quick assembly time, the AirStrike is a compact, 34-inch wingspan trainer that transports and stores easily. Produced from durable yet lightweight materials, the AirStrike is made with the strength needed by new pilots.

Design Information

High wing design - A high wing design on a plane allows the aircraft to have much better stability. Why you ask? The weight of the fuselage below the wing will always stabilize the model in flight because the fuselage weighs more then the wing.

For example, when you turn the plane will level itself out because the bottom will be weighing it down. Electric RC trainers have a high wing design, which is one reason they are ideal for beginners.

Low wing design - The opposite happens here. The fuselage is heavier above the wing, so it will not level itself. This is mainly used if you want your model to do aerobatics.

Along with choosing a high or low wing design, you need to look at the wing shape. There are three types of wing shapes. A flat bottomed wing provides the most lift, even at slow speeds.

That of course is perfect for beginners. Next is a symmetrical wing shape, which basically makes the airplane equally stable everywhere. The third wing shape is a semi-symmetrical wing. A semi-symmetrical wing has qualities of both the flat and symmetrical wing design, and is good for sport flyers.

A couple other factors you need to look at are the dihedral length (v shape fin in very back) and the undercarriage layout. For the dihedral, if you want your electric rc trainers to be more centered, then you want a bigger dihedral. Of course if you don’t want it to stay perfectly centered, then there should be little or no dihedral. As for the undercarriage layout, you can either have a tricycle or a tail dragger layout.

A tricycle layout is basically two wheels underneath the wing section and another wheel in the front. This is ideal if you are a beginner and need help keeping your plane straight when taking off. A tail dragger layout is exactly that, the plane sort of drags it tail. There are two wheels underneath the wing section, and a little wheel underneath the tail.

So, with what you have learned you might be saying “what do I choose then?” Well for the beginner I recommend a high wing design, flat bottomed wing shape, at least a 4 inch dihedral, and a tricycle undercarriage layout. The airplanes I recommend above mostly match these specifications, so just get one of those if you have any doubts.