Beginner RC airplanes (electric RTF)

Easy to fly beginner rc airplanes are very widely available these days, even from many toy shops! They vary in design, of course, but most of them share some common characteristics; they are RTF, electric powered and they're one, two or three channel.

These are the best factors to look for if you are a beginner in the hobby, and they add up to one thing - simplicity.

Availability of spare parts is also something to keep in mind, as is the construction of the airplane ie how robust and durable it is. For example, a foam rc airplane can take more knocks than a traditional balsa wood constructed one.
Spare parts availability is important because your airplane will suffer some degree of damage sooner or later, and being able to replace a broken part properly is important to safe flying!

So, what's RTF? It stands for 'Ready To Fly' and means that the model needs no work done to it apart from some very basic final assembly, such as attaching the wing. In fact, in the case of smaller beginner rc airplanes, even this job might not be necessary because the wing may be an integral part of the airplane.

Browse some beginner rc airplanes, if you're looking to buy.

So, any final assembly work aside, what do you need to do to get a beginner's rc airplane airborne? Two things...

Buy and install the batteries for the radio gear
Charge the motor battery

...that's it!
And in fact, some planes even come with the radio gear batteries included, notably the ParkZone and HobbyZone ones.

Electric RTF beginner RC airplane examples

There is a huge range of beginner planes to choose from these days, so here are just a few examples that are suitable as first-time models, that you might like to consider. At the time of writing this page, they are some of the most popular sellers.
Shown in no particular order, they are all RTF, relatively low cost and meant for the novice...

Firebird Phantom Low-cost 3 channel addition to the HobbyZone range, with Anti-Crash Technology (ACT™) and all you'd want for a first model. The 'Firebird' range is very popular with newcomers to the hobby, and the planes are easy to fly.
Firebird Freedom Another one from HobbyZone's 'Firebird' range and equally as popular as the Phantom. The principle difference here is size, this Freedom is much larger with a wingspan of 50", to the Phantom's 29".
Sky Fly 2 Similar pod-and-boom style design as the two above, this style is always favorite with beginners because of its simplicity. These planes are nice and stable in the air, and very easy to fly.
Ember An ultra lightweight, very simple rc airplane from ParkZone. Able to fly indoors or outdoors on a completely calm day, the Ember makes rc flying very easy and lots of fun, particularly if your airspace is limited in size!
Vapor Even lighter than the Ember, the newer Vapor is meant for indoor flying. Very easy to fly and sold with the latest 2.4GHz radio control technology. It's feather weight means no or very little damage on crashing, and its slow airspeed gives you plenty of time to react!
Slo-V A slow flying 2 channel beginners airplane, ideal for some low-key leisurely flying. Very forgiving and its slow flying speed makes it a perfect model to get into radio control flying with.
J3 Cub For those who prefer a scale rc airplane, a Cub is always a good choice for beginners. This ParkZone example is 3 channel with very stable and reliable flight characteristics, and a powerful brushless motor.

The beginner rc airplanes shown above are just a few popular examples out of hundreds of electric RTF airplanes that are currently available.

If you are new to the radio control flying hobby, choosing an airplane that is designed for beginners can make a big difference to your enjoyment and success. Buying and trying to fly an advanced model will almost certainly end in disaster, putting you off rc flying for life!
Maybe your first plane won't look exactly how you'd like it to, but learning to fly safely is the prime factor to think about. Once you've got a few hours under your belt, then you can move on to bigger and better things.

And before you do take to the skies for the first time, remember to visit all the pages of the flight training section of this website!

A good choice of beginner rc airplanes can be seen here.

Do you have any of the beginner planes shown on this page? If so, show us here!

How to fly airplanes - RC flight school for beginners.