The basic RC airplane controls

The number of rc airplane controls can differ between models, the simplest planes will have just one control while the more complex planes may have five or six, in some cases more.

If you're completely new to the hobby of radio control flying you may not yet know which rc airplane controls do what, so hopefully this page will give you a good idea.

The controls are, of course, the same as those found on real airplanes and control the model in exactly the same way.

The four primary controls are throttle, elevator, aileron and rudder, and the picture below shows where these main controls are found on an airplane (model shown is a typical 4-channel* aerobatic plane):

*Controls are referred to as 'channels', so a model with 4 controls is said to be 4-channel.

Which controls do what?

Throttle

Throttle controls the speed of the motor.
In a nitro engine (shown right) the throttle works the same as any internal combustion engine throttle, by changing the amount of fuel and air that enters the combustion chamber of the engine.

In an electric rc airplane throttle is referred to as motor control or speed control. Basic electric planes may not have proportional speed control, but just a simple on/off switch.

Throttle not only controls the speed of the airplane, but also the rate of climb and descent - this is because different amounts of lift are generated at different airspeeds.
For example, if your landing approach path is too low you can make the plane rise slightly without changing speed by opening the throttle slightly, instead of using elevator.

Elevators

The elevators are the hinged section of the tailplane, or horizontal stabilizer, at the rear of the plane.
Elevators control the attitude, or pitch, of the plane which is the angle of the plane in relation to the horizontal. When elevators are in the up position, the nose of the airplane points upwards and the plane climbs. With elevators down, the nose is forced downwards and the plane begins to dive.

Elevators are always used in conjunction with rudder and/or ailerons when making a turn.

Very basic rc airplanes may not have elevator control however - motor control may be the primary way of controlling altitude.

Ailerons

Not all rc airplanes have aileron control, in fact the majority of 3 channel airplanes use rudder instead.
Ailerons always come in pairs and are found on the trailing (rear) edge of the wing, and they work opposite to each other ie when one aileron moves up, the other one moves down and vice versa.
Ailerons control the roll of the airplane about its longitudinal axis (imagine a straight line running from nose to tail).

Bear in mind that when looking at a plane from the front, as above, left and right are the wrong way round! When learning to fly, this is known as 'reverse co-ordination'

When used in conjunction with elevators, ailerons cause the plane to turn and are also used in many aerobatic maneuvers.

Rudder

The rudder is the hinged section of the fin, or vertical stabilizer, at the rear of the airplane.
It's used for directional control by changing the yaw of the airplane, and works in the correct sense ie moving the rudder to the left causes the plane to turn left and vice versa.

Yaw is different to roll because when an airplane yaws to the left or right because of rudder it remains more or less level - only the combined use of rudder and elevator causes an airplane to bank in the same way as ailerons do.

Basic one or two channel electric rc airplanes will have rudder control only, and motor on/off.

The elevators, ailerons and rudder are collectively known as control surfaces.

Other RC airplane controls

Other controls found on more complex rc airplanes include flaps and retracts.
Flaps are located on the trailing edge of each wing, between the aileron and fuselage. They're used to generate more lift at slower flying speeds, and to slow the airplane down close to landing.
Unlike ailerons, flaps are connected in such a way that they both drop exactly the same amount together.

'Retracts' is the abbreviation for retractable undercarriage, which is an undercarriage (landing gear) that folds away into the airplane's wings or fuselage.
They are used on larger rc airplanes, particularly scale models where the real airplane has retractable undercarriage - warbirds, for example.
Retracts can be servo directly operated or driven by compressed air, and respond to the flicking of a single switch on the transmitter.

Larger non-scale models also often have retracts, particularly competition aerobatic airplanes where it's necessary to reduce the amount of drag on the plane in the air.

Proportional control

By proportional control, we mean that the control surfaces respond directly to how much you move the stick of the transmitter.
Nearly all radio control sets are proportional - only the very cheap models, and toys, are non-proportional ie offer a straightforward 'on/off' or 'left/right' function.

Related pages

How airplanes fly - looks in more details at the forces that act on a plane in flight.

Radio control functions - how the control surfaces relate to the transmitter.

Ground school - the basic stuff that you should know before you start flying model planes.

Training methods - the main ways of learning how to fly radio control planes and helicopters.

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

Basic rc airplane aerobatics - learn some easy stunts and impress your friends!

RC flying do's and don'ts - some basic safety tips.

RC flight simulators - the safest way of learning.

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