Electric RC airplanes -
affordable fixed-wing flying

Electric rc airplanes give you the easiest, quickest and cheapest way of getting started in powered radio control model flying, and their relatively lower price tags and wide availability make them a great attraction to the hobby.

In the last few years, RTF ('Ready To Fly') electric airplanes such as the 3 channel scale Super Cub, shown below, have become very popular models for beginners, either from scratch or as a natural progression up from simpler one channel rc airplanes.

This Super Cub comes from HobbyZone, a very popular range of completely RTF (inc. radio gear batteries) electric planes designed for the newcomer.
One feature of this Super Cub is the trusted HobbyZone Anti-Crash Technology (ACT) - an electronic gadget that reads the airplane's attitude, and communicates with the receiver accordingly if the airplane appears to be out of control. The ACT can, of course, be switched off at any time for when you feel like trying some aerobatic maneuvers!
The Super Cub makes a perfect trainer because of its inherent stability in the air; the real-life Cub was of course the most popular trainer of its time.

Examples of electric RC airplanes

While the Super Cub is an excellent choice for anyone looking to start flying powered rc airplanes, the variety of models available is vast. Shown below are several different examples of currently popular RTF electric rc airplanes...

This Freedom Flyer makes a good 3 channel trainer, but can be upgraded to a 4 channel aerobatic sport flyer with an optional aileron upgrade kit.

The successful Firebird Freedom, from HobbyZone, is a very different style of airplane with a distinct pod-and-boom design. The Firebird range is an extremely popular one.

This Hobbico ElectriStar EP is a much larger and more serious 4 channel trainer, essentially a 40 size gas plane converted to electric power.

This scale T28 Trojan is a low-wing, more powerful electric airplane with brushless motor and lipo battery. A great plane for when you've got a few hours under your belt.

In fact, the 5 shown on this page are a good mix of examples to show together because of their differences in performance; the Freedom Flyer being a good all-round 'sport' flyer capable of aerobatics with the 4th channel upgrade; the Super Cub being a scale trainer, the Firebird Freedom being a completely different shape and style of airplane, ElectriStar EP being a much larger 4-channel trainer and finally the T28 Trojan being a model for the next step up.

Of course, the electric rc airplanes featured on this page are just several out of hundreds that are available these days, but are excellent examples of trusted RTF planes that are bringing more and more people into the hobby of radio control flying.

You can see a larger selection of electric rc airplanes here, if you're browsing to buy.

Points to remember when choosing and buying

With so many electric airplanes available nowadays, choosing a suitable model does need some consideration. Fortunately, the process of selecting the right model can be kept simple so long as you keep a few basic thoughts in mind.

Many RTF electric rc airplanes are designed for the newcomer, but here are a few of those thoughts that you should remember when choosing:

Models that are of a high wing design always make the best airplanes to learn on because of their stability in the air.
An RTF (or ARF - 'Almost Ready To Fly') model is far better if you have no modeling experience, as these are the best way of getting airborne with the least amount of frustration.
Size matters! A plane with a wingspan of between 30 and 50 inches is the optimum size for learning.
Check out availability of spare parts before you buy - you will need them at some time or another!

Learning to fly an electric rc airplane is a great fun experience, but you do need to simplify the game as much as possible in your early days.
Keeping the above points in mind should help you do that, and once you've got a few hours under your hat and built up some confidence then you can consider moving onto larger and faster planes.
You're entering into a great hobby, but too many bad experiences at the start won't help you enjoy the fun!

The electric rc airplanes on this page (and more) can be seen in more detail here.

Related pages & resources

Electric trainers - a few examples of suitable electric trainers.

ParkZone rc airplanes - models of the 'Charge-and-Fly' series.

HobbyZone rc airplanes - great beginner planes.

Park Flyers - a brief explanation of Park and Slow Flyer type airplanes.

Cheap rc airplanes - some bargain flyers.

Beginner rc airplanes - a few popular 'get started' type planes.

Toy rc airplanes - some popular toy planes for the kids.

The popularity factor - reasons why electric rc airplanes are so popular now.

Gas vs electric rc flying - the fundamental points to consider.

Flying model airplanes - tips for flying a simple 1 or 2 channel Park Flyer style electric model.

Red Rocket Hobby Shop - great store packed with top quality rc products, North American shipping only.

RC Discounts - online RC store that ships worldwide.

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