Trainer Airplanes

By: JaMina M EnGram

Trainer RC model airplanes are specially designed to make learning to fly an RC airplane very easy and lots of fun. The ideal trainer airplane is self correcting, stable and can fly at slow speeds. They are powered by either an electric RC airplane motor or nitro fuel, which is often called gas (there are gas RC airplanes, however they are a much larger RC airplanes and are not trainers).

Trainer RC airplanes may come in many sizes and colors, but they all have the same pretty basic over all design. Their wings are on top of the fuselage for maximum stability and the 'high wings' have a dihedral design which means the shape of them looks like a slightly upturned 'V' when looked at from the front.

When learning to fly an RC airplane, it's extremely important that the airplane is both stable and forgiving during flight that is why the placement of the wings is very important. The placement of the wings change the way an RC airplane will fly because its placement affects maneuverability and the distribution of the weight of the RC aircraft. High wing monoplanes and bi-planes are considered the most stable and are much easier to fly, making them ideal for the beginner RC airplane pilots. You'll notice that almost all RC trainer airplanes are 'high wing' models, although there are a few exceptions.

Although the increased maneuverability and response to controls in low wing and mid-wing models might sound good to the beginner RC pilot, they are much more challenging and tend to be harder to control for the inexperienced RC pilots.

Placement of the Wings

High Wings

The 'high wing' design is great for the trainer airplanes because the weight of the RC trainer airplane is suspended below the wing and acts to stabilize the RC trainer airplane during flight. After a turn this type of wing design will cause the RC airplane to naturally want to level itself because it is bottom heavy. When this type of RC airplane tilts, the weight of the fuselage underneath the model tends to correct the tilt of the airplane and tries to return the model to a level position. As a result, 'high wing' models are more stable and forgiving, easier to fly and the absolute best type of RC airplane for the beginner RC airplane pilot.

low wing

The 'Low wing' RC models are just the opposite: the weight above the wing makes the model airplane top-heavy which tends to make the airplane less stable. This piratical design makes the airplane unwilling to naturally right itself. It is this reason that low wing RC airplanes aren't as stable as high wing RC airplanes. There are low wing trainer airplanes available, however most RC trainer airplanes are high wing. These types of aircraft are an excellent choice for the advanced RC pilot who wishes to explore the wonderful world of RC airplane aerobatic maneuvers.

Dihedral

Dihedral is the noticeable upward 'V' shape of the wings when looked at from the front. This type of wing design is called dihedral.

The more dihedral (which means a more upward tilt of the wings or deeper 'V') the more stability an RC airplane will have during flight, making flying much easier. Most trainer airplanes are flat bottom fixed high wing airplanes.

The Shape of the Wings

The aerofoil is the shape of the cross section of a wing. You can see the shape by looking at the end of a wing. The front area of the wing, which is usually rounded, is the leading edge and the end of the airfoil is called the trailing edge which usually tapers to a near point. The shape of the wing is very important. The 3 main shapes of wing are:

* flat bottom

* semi-symmetrical

* symmetrical

Flat Bottom

A flat bottom wing is when the lower section of the wing between the leading edge and the trailing edge is flat. The flat bottomed wing design causes the air going over the wing to travel farther than the air going under the wing. Since both the air on top of the wing and the air below the wing go from the leading edge to the trailing edge in the same amount of time, the air on top must travel faster. When this happens, the air pressure below the wing is greater then the air pressure above the wing, causing lift. A flat bottomed wing provides more lift at the slowest airspeeds - making them the best type of wings for trainer airplanes.

Semi Symmetrical

A semi-symmetrical wing is almost a cross between a flat bottom wing and a symmetrical wing. The lower section has more of a curve then the flat bottom wing, but not as much as the symmetrical wing. This type of wing design has both the advantages of a flat bottom wing design and the symmetrical wing design which makes it very popular on sport type airplanes.

Symmetrical

The symmetrical wing provides an equal amount of lift whether the plane is flying upside right or upside down which makes it perfect for aerobatics.

You will almost never see a trainer airplane with symmetrical wing design. Most trainer airplanes are constructed with the flat bottom wing design although you will find a few trainer airplanes that are an exception to this.

Landing Gear

Tricycle

Tricycle landing gear also called the aircraft undercarriage describes wheels that are in a tricycle wheel fashion. There is a single steerable nose wheel mounted in the front of the center of gravity, and two main wheels positioned just behind the center of gravity under the wings. This type of undercarriage may be linked to the rudder to give accurate steering control on the ground. Since staying on the runway when taking off can be challenging for a beginner, a tricycle landing gear makes the trainer airplane much easier to steer than a tail dragger.

Tail Dragger

The 'tail dragger' landing gear configuration has two wheels that are placed forward of the center of gravity and one small wheel, called the tail wheel that is mounted underneath the tail of the airplane. Tail draggers are generally harder to steer on the ground however the lack of a nose wheel means slightly less weight and drag during flight.

In Conclusion

There are many trainer RC airplanes that will help the beginner RC airplane pilot learn how to fly an RC airplane. The type of RC trainer the young pilot chooses will depend on the pilots own personal preference. Obviously the more flight time committed, the better the beginner pilot will become. With a good trainer airplane and some practice, pretty much anyone can learn to fly an RC airplane.

The challenge of learning to fly an RC airplane can indeed be challenging, however with the help of a trainer airplane this challenge can be over come and the enjoyment of RC airplane flying can quickly be achieved. A good RC trainer airplane is a must for any beginner pilot.

The wonderful hobby of RC airplane flying is very popular and loved just as much by the spectator as it is by the pilot.

Don't forget that receiver batteries should be capacity checked at least once every time you go out to fly to ensure they are in good shape. Although some pilots maybe more skilled then others, I don't know of any pilot skilled enough to land with a dead receiver.

Article Source: https://www.collectibles-articles.com

JaMina M. EnGram is an author and web developer. For more information on this subject please visit www.fastgasremotecontrolcars.com/trainer-airplanes.html

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