The ultimate RC flying Glossary is here!

This RC glossary contains some of the more common words and terms that you'll hear now and again when you're reading about rc airplanes and flying (not rc in general).

We've kept it as non-technical and lighthearted as possible, and where appropriate there are links to relevant pages within this website where you can get more detailed information.

Use these letter links if you're looking for a particular word:

A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z

• aerobatic: any maneuver or series of maneuvers that involve stunts of any kind, such as loops, barrel rolls and spins. An airplane that is capable of performing such stunts is said to be "fully aerobatic".
  
  
• aeromodelling: the general term used to describe the hobby of building and flying model airplanes and aircraft. Aeromodellers are the guys and gals that do it.
  
  
• ailerons: the moving section of the trailing edge of the wing, located towards the outer end. Ailerons come in pairs, (left and right) and always work in opposite directions to each other (one up, one down). When used, they cause the airplane to roll to the left or right. More details here.
  
  
• angle of attack: the angle of the wing (when viewed from the end) in relation to the horizontal airflow when the airplane is flying. Nothing to do with your incoming trajectory when trying to cut the tail off your friend's model in aerial combat games.
  
  
• ARC: Almost Ready to Crash. An rc airplane or helicopter that's experiencing its first take-off.
  
  
• ARF: Almost Ready To Fly. This one's a legitimate abbreviation. An ARF model airplane needs a few small finishing touches and you have to install the engine and radio gear yourself. They vary in degrees of completeness, from manufacturer to manufacturer. More details here.
  
  
• attitude: not the obvious meaning, but in the flying world 'attitude' refers to the angle of the plane in relation to the horizontal eg "My plane had a very nose-down attitude, from which it would not recover..."
  Well, in this case you could say that your plane has, or had, a 'bad attitude'!
  
  

• barrel roll: an aerobatic maneuver that involves the airplane following the twist of a large imaginary corkscrew (horizontal) through the air. More details here.
  
  
• brushless motor: type of electric motor used in rc electric aircraft. Brushless motors are much more powerful than traditional brushed motors, and are commonly used in electric aerobatic aircraft. They can be inrunner or outrunner motors.
  
  
• buddy box: about the best training aid, where the student's transmitter is attached via cable to the instructor's. The student has complete control over the model, but at the flick of a switch the instructor can take control if the student gets into difficulties. Or just to be mean.
  
  
• bungee launch: a method of launching rc gliders. More details here.
  
  

• Center of Gravity / CG: the airplane's point of balance. As a general rule of thumb, it's found approximately 1/3 of the way back from the leading edge of the wing. More details here.
  
  
• channel: 2 meanings for this in the rc world. First, it can be the number of channels that the model has, eg a 1 channel model may have just motor or rudder control while a 2 channel model will have motor and rudder, etc etc. Second, the channel number refers to the radio frequency which you're using. More details here.
  
  
• chicken stick: a tough rubber sleeve that you put on your finger if starting the motor by hand to give essential protection from the propeller.
  
  
• control surface(s): a collective term for the rudder, elevator and ailerons of an airplane. More details here.

• dead stick: when your airplane's motor cuts out in mid-air. With any luck you'll have enough altitude to glide safely in for a nice landing, otherwise you may need to use your plastic bag.
  
  
• dihedral: the upward angle of the wings when viewed from the front. An airplane with dihedral is more stable in the air than one without.
  
  
• drag: the force that is created by the movement of the airplane through the air, on the air immediately surrounding the plane. High drag means that the model has to work harder to cut through the air. Low drag, oddly enough, means the opposite.
  A real drag is the term used to describe your flying day when it's not going to plan.
  
  

• electric starter: a glorified 12 volt electric motor with a special end cup that you place over the spinner to turn the motor over until it starts, hopefully. You can see one here.
  
  
• elevator: the moving section at the rear of the horizontal stabilizer, or tailplane, that controls the pitch of the airplane.
  
  
• elevons: when elevator and aileron control is made by the same control surface, this surface is called an elevon(s). Only possible with a mixing facility on the rc set.
  
  

• field box: a box that you take to the field. It contains all your flying accessories and tools, except the one thing that you need on the day when no-one else is at the field. You can see one here. Also often called a flight box, particularly when it gets kicked through the air just after you've written off your model.
  
  
• field equipment: accessories and equipment that you take to the field in your field box. Apart from that one crucial thing... More details here.
  
  
• fin: also called stabilizer, it's the vertical surface at the rear of the airplane used to stabilize the plane in flight.
  
  
• flaps: moving sections of the trailing edge of the wing, on the inside of the ailerons. Used to create more lift at slower flying speeds, flaps are usually only found on rc airplanes with 5 or more channels.
  
  
• flare: the action taken a few feet above the ground when landing, to reduce the approach angle and slow the rate of descent. Forgetting this crucial action may result in you needing your plastic bag.
  
  
• flight simulator: a home computer based training aid that lets you practice flying radio control from the safety and comfort of your house. Excellent for novice rc pilots, particularly those looking at flying rc helicopters. More details here.
  
  
• frequency: all radio control gear works on frequencies. Best explained here.
  
  
• fuselage: the main body of an airplane, excluding wings, tail and everything else.
  
  

• glow plug: sits in the top of the motor's cylinder head and contains an electrical element that glows red hot to ignite the fuel/air mixture in the compression chamber. Glow plugs have an uncanny habit of burning out on the one day that you've run out of spare ones, and no-one else is at the flying field.
  
  
• glow plug ignitor: used to ignite the glow plug. Obviously.
  
  
• gravity: the force that every rc airplane is trying to beat. RC pilots are often caught out when gravity decides to have some fun and suddenly increases its strength without warning. This common phenomenon is also known as pilot error or radio failure.
  
  

• hand launch: the way to launch any flying model without an undercarriage. The model must be held level at head-height and launched into wind. A hefty shove is needed, but don't throw the model like a ball.
  
  
• horizontal stabilizer: also called the tailplane. The horizontal surface at the back of the fuselage, to which the elevators are attached.
  
  

• landing: the action of bringing your model safely back down to earth, hopefully keeping it in one piece. A good landing negates the use of the plastic bag.
  
  
• landing gear: also called the undercarriage. Refers to all wheels and associated bits. Landing gear can be fixed or retractable up into the underside of the wing or fuselage (called 'retracts', usually only on models with 5 channels or more).
  
  
• leading edge: the front edge of the wing, tailplane or rudder.
  
  
• lift: the force created by the forward motion of the airplane's wing. Air pressure over the wing is less than the pressure below the wing and so the wing, along with the rest of the model, is pushed upwards.
  
  
• Lipo: stands for lithium ion polymer battery. These are the most modern kind of battery pack being used in electric aircraft. They provide enormous amounts of power for their size, especially when used in conjunction with a brushless motor.
  
  
• loop: an aerobatic maneuver whereby the airplane flies a vertical circle in the air. The easiest stunt of all to pull off, and any airplane with an elevator can do them. Just make sure you're not flying too close to the ground first... More details here.
  
  

• mid-air: term used to describe the unfortunate incident of two or more models making physical contact with each other while in flight. A mid-air collision can be very spectacular given the correct speeds and trajectories of each model, and all models involved in such a crowd-pleasing incident always end up going home in the plastic bag.
  
  
• mixing: the ability to combine two different functions into one, from the rc set. Typically used for airplanes with elevons, whereby normal elevator movement and aileron movement is combined into the same control surface.
  
  

• NiCd: nickel cadmium, also written as 'NiCads', are a form of rechargeable battery used in radio control gear as well as motor battery packs. NiCds are being used less and less these days, as NiMH and Lipo batteries take over.
  
  
• NiMH: nickel metal hydride batteries are the successors to NiCds, with much better performance and up to 3 times the capacity for an equally sized battery. Only Lipos top NiMHs.
  
  
• non-scale: any model that is not modeled from a real-life airplane, helicopter or whatever.
  
  

• park flyer: the general name given to any electric rc airplane that can be safely flown in a park / schoolyard / parking lot etc.
  
  
• pilot error: any mistake, particularly one that ends in a crash, made by the pilot for whatever reasons. Pilot error is never admitted to by the pilot in question, however. Instead the incident is traditionally put down to radio failure, radio interference, unexplained gusts of wind, extra fast-growing trees or the strange phenomenon of the ground suddenly lifting upwards and getting in the way without warning.
  
  
• pitch: the upward or downward angle of the airplane in relation to the horizontal, when viewed from the side. Pitch is controlled by the elevators.
  
  
• plastic bag: the thing used to take home the pieces that was once your model airplane, before you failed to keep it airborne at the wrong moment, or didn't manage to pull off the best of landings, or tried to perform an aerobatic maneuver too close to the ground...
  RC pilots who have used plastic bags can be laughed at here.
  
  
• Plug n' Play (PNP): Ready To Fly models that are missing the transmitter, allowing the pilot to use his/her own. More details here.
  
  
• power panel: a small central control box for all your electrical field equipment items, typically powered by a 12V battery. You can see one here.
  
  
• pre-flight checks: essential checks that you need to carry out immediately before flight. More details here.
  
  
• propeller (or 'prop'): the thing at the front of the airplane. It spins round very fast when the motor is running. Props have been known to eat the fingers of careless rc pilots who hand start their motor without the use of a chicken stick. Props will fly off at an alarming speed, if the securing nut hasn't been tightened properly.
  
  

• radio failure: very occasionally this happens, but the uncontrollable actions of the model are usually down to pilot error, not that they'd ever admit to it.
  
  
• radio interference: when two (or more) identical, or close, frequencies are being used at the same time the radio signals will mix together, so your model's receiver won't know which ones to respond to. Radio interference is also a good cover-up for pilot error.
  
  
• radio signals: the invisible messages that pass from transmitter to receiver, telling the model what to do. OK until someone turns on a transmitter of the same frequency...
  
  
• rc flight simulator: the safest way of learning to fly rc on your home computer. More details here.
  
  
• RC Airplane World: the web's premier website on how to get started in radio control flying ;-)
  
  
• receiver: part of the radio control gear that lives inside the model and picks up the radio signals sent out by the transmitter. More details here.
  
  
• retracts: abbreviation for 'retractable undercarriage', which is an undercarriage that folds up into the airplane's wings or fuselage. They work most of the time, but sometimes they decide not to re-appear just when you need them the most.
  
  
• roll: the rotational movement of an airplane about its longitudinal axis. Also an aerobatic maneuver whereby the airplane is repeatedly rolled about its longitudinal axis while trying to keep the thing in a straight line. Also something you take to the field for when you get hungry.
  
  
• RTC: Ready To Crash. RTC models are in the throws of making unplanned air to ground contact, and nothing can be done to prevent it. Usually a result of pilot error, but never admitted to.
  
  
• RTF: Ready To Fly. RTF models can be assembled in minutes, usually it's a case of just strapping on the wing. RTFs are very popular these days. More details here.
  
  
• rudder: the moving section on the back half of the fin. Used to control the airplanes yaw.
  
  

• scale: any model that has been modeled from a real aircraft, such as a Piper Cub or P-51 Mustang.
  
  
• semi-scale: any model that is loosely based on a real aircraft, with maybe a few details left out or proportions changed.
  
  
• servo: the part of the radio control gear that converts the radio signal into movement. More details here.
  
  
• slow flyer: different name for Park Flyer. Or a model that is experiencing engine problems, or a very strong headwind.
  
  
• spin: an aerobatic maneuver whereby the airplane is flown vertically down towards the ground, while being made to roll. Easy to get into one but not always so easy to get out of, especially when the airplane-to-ground distance has been badly judged. In this instance, you will need to use the plastic bag.
  
  
• spinner: the plastic cone-shaped piece that covers the center of the propeller. Planes without spinners never quite look complete...
  
  
• sport airplanes: a general term for model airplanes that can be used for training on but are also capable of aerobatic maneuvers, whether intentional or not.
  
  
• spread spectrum: the latest technology for radio control systems. Based on the 2.4GHz frequency band, spread spectrum radio systems are virtually interference-proof. More details here.
  
  
• stabilizer: see fin.
  
  
• stall: any flying model will stall when the flying speed gets too low and the necessary amount of lift needed to hold the model in the air is lost. Getting to know your model's stalling speed by reducing throttle and applying up elevator at the same time is a very good idea, but don't practice too close to the ground if you want to avoid using the plastic bag.
  
  
• stall turn: an aerobatic maneuver whereby the airplane is put into a vertical climb, power is reduced and full rudder is applied. The airplane should stop in mid-air and turn through 180 degrees, thus facing the ground, in the direction that the rudder was applied. And don't forget to pull out of the ensuing dive. More details here.
  
  

• take-off: the action of accelerating your airplane along the ground until flying speed is reached, and the thing gets airborne. Only suitable for models with an undercarriage, otherwise you're limited to hand launching.
  
  
• taildragger: an airplane that has 2 main wheels and a small tailwheel. Taildraggers have a habit of going round in circles on the ground when you're learning how to take off.
  
  
• tailplane: see horizontal stabilizer.
  
  
• thrust: the force that is generated by the spinning propeller of the airplane, and pushes the model through the air.
  
  
• trailing edge: the rear edge of the wing, tailplane or rudder.
  
  
• trainer: any rc airplane that has been designed for learning to fly on. Usually trainers are high wing, with plenty of dihedral. More details here.
  
  
• transmitter: the main part of the radio control gear that you hold in your hands while controlling your model. More details here.
  
  
• trimming: the action of getting your model to fly straight and level, with the transmitter sticks in their neutral positions, an no input from you. More details here.
  
  
• tricycle undercarriage: a fixed undercarriage that consists of 2 main wheels and a nosewheel, which is sometimes connected to the rudder servo for easier ground handling.
  
  

• undercarriage: see landing gear.
  
  

• wing: come on, seriously??
  
  
• wingspan: the overall length of the wing, from tip to tip. Wingspan is the primary measurement when referring to an airplane's size.
  
  

• yaw: the rotational movement of an aircraft about its vertical axis, controlled by the rudder.
  
  

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