Model Aviation - Model Aircrafts, RC Aircrafts, Paper Aircrafts

8 Aircraft Models That You Maybe Did Not Think About

Do you have too many model airplanes on your shelf? I'm sure this is not going to stop you to add more - either by making them with your hands or buying them from the store. But maybe it's time to broaden your collection with something different - something that your friends modelists will greatly envy you for. Judging by the huge interest our article about model autogyro caused, I'm sure you will be interested to know about different types of aircraft models that are not airplanes.

Here are 8 of them: more original, less popular, and funky.

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1. Model Balloon or Dirigible

Picture by disoculated

Feel romantic? Model balloons and dirigibles can bring a bit or retro-feeling in your model aircraft collection. Model dirigibles are mostly known as inflatable toys for little kids, but they can also be static scale models made of wood with great details. The RC fans can find many radio controller airship models which are usually also inflatable. Typically these toys are bigger than the model airplanes you probably have in your collection.

If you want to have small model of the typical balloons used by travellers and explorers from the past, you will most probably need to make it yourself. If you plan on making a flying aircraft be extremely careful with hot air or hellium as both may cause fire. Besides the caution required however, making such a model can be very satisfying and the result can be quite impressive and unique.

You can find a great model airship gallery and more information here.

2. Model Early Planes

While we are on retro-wave, let's think about the early planes. What are they? Mostly utopical, extraordinary, impractical... but lovely aircraft! In this category fall all kind of early ideas for balloons, steam aircraft, monoplanes and a lot of truly exciting stuff. You can learn a lot more about them at the Wikipedia page.

Photo by su-lin

The only problem with these models is that you will probably need to make them yourself. It's hard to find any kits or RC aircraft that represent such early machines. Obviosly most of these models will not be flying because even the real aircraft has never flown. But even as static model such aircraft can be the jewel in your collection.

3. Model Paraglider

RC fans love RC paragliders because they really can fly well and smooth - and besides that flying them is really straightforward. Even climbs and decents are very easy to achieve simply by increasing and decreasing power. Most of these toys are quite affordable - only the RC paragliders of the serious hobbyists are expensive.

Static scale model paragliders aren't very popular, because to be frank they aren't much impressive. If you plan to build such a model yourself, maybe you'll want to consider some hard material for the wing so it stays open. Possibly such models may include also a figure of the pilot.

Model paragliders are most interesting in their RC version.

4. Model Rocket

Picture by kansasphoto

These models are loved by kids and teens with deviation to astronautics. But model rockets are special. Yes, you can see the typical static scale models of rockets and spaceships, and electric RC model rockets as well. But model rocketry is more than this - it has been existed for more than 50 years as a hobby that involves creating exciting models from paper, plastic, wood, or other lightweight for outdoor flying - and they really can fly high (usually up to 500m!).

The real model rocket hobbysists know an entire science of launch methods, site selection, deployment and more. Model rockets deserve their own article here and we will publish it soon. Until then you can continue reading here.

5. Model Hovercraft

Is hovercraft an aircraft? I'll leave this argument open - the fact is that personal hovercraft gain popularity everywhere and that's valid for the models, too. Most model hovecraft are remote controlled and scale models at the same time. They come as complete toys or as kits which are quite easy to build and can hover on land and on water just like the real craft.

Static scale models are less interesting because most hoverceraft aren't too detailed vehicles but they have their fans too - especially the military ones.

If you are not looking to make a scale model but just want a nice hovercraft toy for your kits, you can even make one from an old CD.

6. Model Flying Boat and Seaplane

Flying boats and amphibian airplanes are very useful in the general aviation. They offer a lot more options for landing than a regular airplane. What is the situation with the models? Flying boats are most popular as RC toys for children and often do not represent a real aircraft in details. Most of them come as ready models or ARF kits which are easy to assemble and fly. They primary purpose is to entertain, which they do well.

Model seaplanes on the other hand are often expensive (more than $100) static scale balsa wood models for adults. Some of them come as kits or RC seaplanes. If you want to build a seaplane model from scratch you'd better try to keep details in place and follow some of the popular scales.

Photo by tomhe

7. Model Flying Wing

Photo by Jakuko

The flying wings are futuristic airplanes which contain most of their equipment and the fuselage itself in the main wing structure. Flying wings are very popular as RC toys and have many variations. Some represent massive military airplanes and are made of plastic while others look like hang gliders or ultralight trikes and are very light and easy to make yourself.

Many of the light ones come as ARF kits (like these) but excluding the remote control it's easy to make such yourself from scratch using materials on hand.

If you prefer static models you may need to build them yourself - plans however can be find online even for free.

8. Tiltrotor Model

Huh... a tiltrotor? This fairly strange aircraft isn't very popular within the professionals and the fans of real flying, but it's a great subject for building models. With its two rotors and strange shape it can be an amazing exponent in your collection.

If you plan to buy or build an RC titltrotor you must know that these things are really hard to fly. Their rotors are hard to balance which leads to instability of the entire model.

Photo by BillKatyGemma

Making a static model should be easier because you don't need to bother about the balance, but finding kits or plans for this weird aircraft can be a bit challenging.

Do you have any of these aircraft in your collection? Do you think any cool one is missing from the list?

Rubber Band Powered Airplanes

Rubber bands work better than electricity! Can you believe that? I am not sure that it is true. But besides the fact there are thousands of excellent and affordable electric RC model airplanes, many people still prefer the rubber band powered aircraft. Why is that so? Why do people in 21st sentury still love simple mechanical toys?

Maybe because simplicity is genious

How Do Rubber Band Powered Airplanes Work

The mechanism is simple and wonderful. Usually there are one or two pieces of elastic rupbber that is twisted before throwing the airplane. When the plane is released, the rubber band starts unwinding to its original position and rotates the propeller. The initial power is given by a crank or just by rotating the propeller.
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The rubber band powered airplanes are usually made of balsa wood or other robust and very light material to ensure the longest possible flight. The size of the propeller, the position of the wings and the entire aerodynamics of the aircraft are very important because the duration of the powered flight is very short. A well made rubber band airplane can keep flying for some time driven by inertion forces even after the rubber band is unwinded.

Can You Make A Rubber Band Powered Airplane?

Yes, and it's not very hard. First, you need a design - it should be something simple and have good aerodynamics as already said. Search for rubber band plans online and when you pick one, try to print it out 1:1 on tracing paper. This way you will easily cut out the pieces of wood or other material.

Follow the instructions and the measures of the plan you have found. Of course you can just try to replicate the drawing below, but it's not a real plan, it's just an illustration of how rubber band powered airplanes work.

Buying Ready To Fly Rubber Band Powered Aircraft

Building a rubber band model airplane yourself is fun and a little challenging. But if you don't have the time to do it, or just want to start flying right away, you can buy such aircraft for cheap.

The prices of such airplanes are really low - they usually start from $2 - $3 so I wouldn't say doing it yourself saves you any money. There is huge variety of such airplanes on the market, so you can get several models for just few buck. And on this price there isn't much research needed.

There is also one other option - if you want to build the plane yourself, but can't find appropriate drawings or materials, you can choose a rubber band airplane kit. The kits contain all the parts you need to build the airplane along with visual instructions. It's much easier to build a rubber band aircraft this way, but it's still more fun than just buying a ready to fly one.

In both cases check the box at right for some good rubber band airplanes you can buy.

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History Of Paper Airplanes

The history of paper airplanes obviously has begun after the real airplanes have been invented. There are some reports online claiming it starts before 1900, but you would agree this is not possible. However people usually view the paper airplane history as part of the history of paper models in general which starts much earlier than XIX century.

Let's review together the history of paper airplanes with a bunch of text and pictures:

Photo by Raenoll Chu at flickr

China, 2000 years ago
The history of paper models starts in China about two thousand years ago. The first models have been made of papyrus paper. Such models have not remain intact till the present time however so we can only guess how exactly they looked like.

Later these first models evolved to the origami craft. We know very well how the shapes of origami have looked as we keep doing them nowadays.

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Aero Magazines, the beginning of XX century
The first evidence that paper airplane history has started its wheel can be found in the aviation magazines from 1908 - 1909. They have contained articles explaining the use of paper airplanes for understanding and exploring the aerodynamics and aircraft design.
As the creator of die-cut paper airplanes is considered Wallis Rigby whose company were developing paper aircraft, cars and boats.

Photo by Todd Ehlers at flickr

Photo by Tim Sheerman-Chase at flickr

Second World War, 1939 - 1945
During the Second World War the paper airplanes production increased because there was no development of plastic model airplanes and balsa wood models. Paper is cheap, you know.

Present time
Paper airplanes are not history - they are still here, pretty much alive and kicking. People keep looking for good paper airplane designs and build paper airplanes themselves. There are plenty of paper aircraft books, containing instructions or lined models that you can cut or build. There are websites and tutorials on making paper airplanes like the ones on this site.

Photo by tomhe at flickr

Knowing the history is not required if you just want to build or collect paper airplanes, but it certainly helps feel better the beauty of this hobby. Unfortunately there is no detailed timeline, with years, dates and pictures of paper airplanes. If you know some facts and have evidence for them, I would appreciate you share them so you can build a complete history of paper airplanes on this site.

Do you want to learn how to make a paper airplane? Read our articles and guides and subscribe to this site to learn everything about paper aircraft and other model airplanes and helicopters! You can also buy instructional videos that will help you make great paper airplanes in minutes.

How To Make Flying Paper Airplanes The Easy Way

NEW: If you are looking for simple paper airplane instructions check out our interactive guides listed at the beginning of the paper airplanes category.

Photo by Darkmuse at Flickr

There are millions of websites on the Web who give far flying paper airplanes plans and explaining how to build an aircraft yourself. The problem is most of them just go into too much detail of very complicated model airplanes. Even our article on how to make paper airplanes is focused at the advanced ones.

What to do if you just want to let your child learn making paper airplanes by creating a simple one?

Searching for such information online or in your local book store might turn out to be a pain. But I have an answer and it is pretty short:

Origami Paper Airplanes

The origami art is the answer because it lets you make far flying paper aircraft by just folding a square sheet of paper. No joining parts, no cutting, no compex drawings are required. And there are no long explanations with the origami airplanes - usually you will only have to go through a few pictures and a few words. That's the perfect manual for children!

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It's easy to find origami paper airplanes instructions online - for example visit this site. Pick a model you like and let your child study it. It's so simple and so beautiful.

It's even more recommended to buy a book about origami airplanes from your local store. Sometimes the drawings in these books are in real size so it's easier for your children to follow them. In some books you'll find even pages intended for cutting and making the airplane directly from them following the marks on the foldings. That might be a bit too easy to your likes however.

Problems With Simple Paper Airplanes

"Just too simple" might be the first "problem" that comes to your mind, but that's actually an advantage. It lets you and your kids get the first model airplane done and flying in pretty short time. That's much better than cutting, spoiling and building for several days just to end up with something that they don't like. Kids are impatient so better let them do simple things first.

The real problems with simple paper airplanes are mostly related to the way they fly. Here are the most common ones:

Bumpy Flight. Often the simple paper airplanes have a jolting ride. Usually lowering the elevators can help fixing this.

Diving and going down. Paper airplanes are too light and throwing them too strong often causes this. Just don't throw it so hard or try adding elevators.

Not flying straight. If your airplane's wings are not identical or the tail is crooked, this will happen often. Make sure the wings are exactly the same and the tail is straight.

Unstability. If the paper airplane is not stable, you need to add fins. The fins are small bends at the edges of the wings. Usually they would be 1-2 sm wide.

Looping and crashing. If the entire airplane structure is not well symmetric, the model will often loop and crash down. Besides redoing the model completely, you have the options to check its symmetry and try to fix it, or to manipulate the angle between the wings.

There are of course all kind of problems that may happen to the flight of your paper airplane. But don't forget that making a new one is always pretty easy and fun. It's not like investing a lot of money and time in some complex model aircraft kit. So don't worry, just go ahead, let the kids play with the models and enjoy with them. To give them a kick start, get one of these great videos - visual instruction works best epsecially with kids.

Once made enough progress with simple paper airplanes, don't forget to learn how to make advanced paper models.

Paper Airplanes For Kids

Creating model airplanes on your own is a complex process. You can browse through the articles in this site to get a better idea of all kind of model aircraft you can do and what is involved. Regardless of its complexity, the hobby of aviation modeling is very popular beneath the more technically advanced kids. But if you are looking for airplane models which are appropriate for just any kid, better look for paper airplanes.

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Paper Airplane For Kids - What Is Specific About Them

Kids easily get excited about any new thing they face, but they also as easy lose interest in it. The kids still don't have our wisdom to accept failures so if they fail doing something, they often get quite disappointed. That's why the paper airplanes for kids must meet some specific requirements:

They must be easy model airplanes. To avoid frustration, the kids better be given easy paper airplanes so it is almost sure that they will complete their first aircraft successfuly. You don't want to turn your kid off the aviation just because he or she couldn't finish the first model.

They must be robust. Your kids might not be too careful with the paper airplanes once they make them. They will try to make them fly in all kind of conditions, they will play with them, throw them and sit on them. Too fine models are not appropriate paper airplanes for kids.

They must fly. Your kids will not get excited about static scale model no matter how great is to have such airplane made of paper. They want their airplanes to fly - the more they can fly, the better. So, pick good, simple, flying paper airplanes.

Photo by razorfrog at Flickr

If you can follow the above suggestions, paper airplanes remain one of the most appropriate option for kids which are just starting in model aviation.

On our site you can learn more about making paper airplanes.

What About Origami Airplanes?

If I have to suggest a kid its first model airplane, I would definitely choose an origami model. The origami airplanes are great for kids because they are made by just folding a sheet of paper. There are no joints, no complex instructions and not things to go wrong if the sketches are good.

Origami is an ancient Japanese art which has been survived centuries. If you let your kids make origami airplanes you are intorducing them not only to model aviation but also to a great and beautiful art.

Some Great Paper Airplanes For Children

Here are the names of some of the best models paper airplanes:

Arrow airplane. Probably the most clasical paper airplane ever created.

Bat Airplane. The bat is one of the simplest models which can be made with just few folds.

Stealth Airplane. The stealth is beautiful wide airplane which flies exceptionally well if made carefully.

The easiest way to teach your kids making origami airplanes is by showing them videos. Here are some great ones to consider.

The paper airplanes really give a lot of opportunities to the kids to have a start in model aviation. All they need is a little help and passion from you.

Plastic Model Airplanes

In the past most model airplanes were made of balsa wood. Most of these models are looking very good and can sustain long time. The wood model airplanes are not that appropriate for flying models however because the balsa wood is not that light.

In the recent years it's getting more popular to build or buy plastic model airplanes. When you buy, the packages come as ready to fly, almost ready to fly or in a kit form.

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Ready To Fly Plastic Model Airplanes

Plastic is a very good and robust material and is sustainable to shocks, sun, water and cold. Best of all, it is light, that's why most free flying or remote control aircraft models are made from plastic.

When buying a plastic model airplane, consider the following:

The Civilian aircraft models are less popular which gives you the opportunity to own something unique

If you are looking for a gift, the military model airplanes are great for aviatiors and other government servants

Most indicative of the aviation history are the commercial model airplanes so if you collect aircraft with educational purpose, that's probably what you should look for at first.

Photo by catchesthelight at Flickr

The ready to fly or static scale plastic model airplanes often have more details than the wood aircraft models.

One of the most important factors to consider when buying a static scale plastic model is its size. These models are intended to stay in a room, so you must visualize the aircraft somewhere and see what size will fit best. If you are purchasing one for a gift, then prefer a smaller size because the receiver may not be happy if he can't find space for his gift.

Building Plastic Model Airplanes

Building plastic models yourself is far more exciting if you have the time and passion to do it. In general no one builds plastic models totally from scratch, because plastic is a material that needs to be factory-cut and prepared.

The easiest thing you could do is to buy ARF (almost ready to fly) plastic kit. These kits typically require just painting, but this gives you enough freedom to give your soul to your model.

If you choose to buy a plastic model aircraft kit for constructing, you should prepare for a nice adventure. If you have purchased a scale plastic kit normally you would start by building the interior, seats, cockpit and then move outside. It's important to follow exactly the instructions in the kit, otherwise you may miss some part and be unable to add it the already built airplane.

The free flight plastic models airplanes have much less details and building them with kit is more fun than a challenge. Just be very precise when joining parts because every inaccuracy may ruin the aerodynamic balance.

If you buy a plastic RC airplane kit you must find the engine and remote control inside it. These parts of the kits are always pre-built so you don't need to deal with electronics. With these kits you have to be careful mostly about placing the engine on the right place and make robust joints between it and the fuselage.

The plastic model airplanes are affordable gifts and easy to build.

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Of course wood gives you entire different sets of advantages, but if you need quick, easy and sustainable models, plastic is probably the best material for them.

Model Autogyro - An Extraordinary Cool Idea

Many people collect or build model airplanes and helicopters for years. Still there are very few who are creative enough to try with other types of model aircrafts - rockets, gliders, paragliders, ultralights or autogyros.

What Exactly Is An Autogyro

An autogyro is quite similar to helicopter rotorcraft because they both use a rotor to lift. However the rotor in the helicopters is used all the time during the normal flight. The autogyro is very different by this criteria - its rotor is auto-rotating by the aerodynamic forces during the flight.

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The real power of the autogyro comes from a propeller just like in the airplanes - but pretty often this propeller is behind the corpse instead in its front.

Because of these specifics the autogyros are very interesting aircrafts to build. Most model aviation fans consider them extraordinary and probably for this reason autogyros are less popular than the airplanes and helicopters.

Photo by Elsie esq. at Flickr

The autogyros can also be called gyrocopters or gyroplanes so when searching for such models you can try these terms too. Sometimes an autogyro can be referred as gyrodine but strictly said gyrodine is a different type of aircraft.

Autogyro Models - Plans and Kits

Would you like to build or buy a model autogyro? Trying to design one yourself only by the given information here will be hard. Preferably if you want to build, you would need at least construction plans.

One of the good sites where you can buy gyrocopter plans is Aero Balsa - most of them are priced between $8 and $20. They also offer kits in the $100 - $150 range.

There are also excellent kits available on Kits Autogyro Company Of Arizona but most of them are a bit more costly.

If you want to build scale models of gyroplanes, some good models to consider are Skyhook, Barnett J4B, McCulloch J-2, CarterCopter and Cierva.

Paper Autogyro That Can Fly

The autogyros are a bit complex aircrafts and making entirely from paper one that flies is a tough task. You will need to use some more robust material at least for the propeller and the rotorcraft. Some light wood or plastic should do the work.

Making the corpse from paper is a really good idea mostly because paper is very light. If you choose to do it, you need to strengthen the parts where the paper connect with the rotorcraft and the propeller - otherwise the rotation friction will quickly damage it. You can use small circles of plastic or wood - for example beads.

If you want to make a paper gyrocopter that flies without engine, you can try powering it with a rubber band. In general paper gyroplanes are not very stable and making one that can fly long time may require many trials.

Regardless the difficulties making model autogyros is very exciting. Even if you decide to buy a ready one, you will have something that most other model aviation fans don't even think about.

How To Make Advanced Paper Airplanes

How advanced can be the paper aircraft and is it hard to make paper airplanes?

Wait! Maybe you want to go straight to our interactive guides?

How To Build The Arrow Paper Airplane

How To Build The Stealth Airplane

How To Build The Moth Airplane

How To Build The Zump Airplane

How To Build The Champ Airplane

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Or continue reading to learn more...

In the introduction article about paper airplanes written few months before this one we discussed jumping into the fun world of making paper airplanes. I gave some samples of more interesting and more advanced airplane designs. The builder's imagination is unlimited an you will see that there are models which go even further than what is shown there.

But how can you create really advanced paper airplanes yourself? Keep reading and you will understand.

Find And Download Plans

Of course you could go by your own plan and that's a nice thing to do if you are going to build a simple aircraft. But for more advanced models you'd better research the Web and find doiwnloadable plans which are specially designed for paper airplanes. Best of all, usually these plans are completely free.

Photo by tomhe at Flickr

To save you some time, I have collected a couple of the best resources about free paper airplane plans. Check out The Online Paper Airplane Museum which has a collection with literally thousands of designs.

Several easy and quick designs are available on Alex's Paper Airplanes. They are not exactly advanced but I would call some of them quite interesting.

Pick Paper

At the time when you are still at the start of making paper airplanes I would recommend you take a sheet of used paper - for example something printed that you will not need anymore. A sheet in Letter format (or A4 in Europe) will do the work. If having something on the paper confuses you and you need a white sheet, at least use recycled paper.

When you stop experimenting and want to create a real paper airplane that flies and looks cool, it's time to think about the paper quality. The paper should not be very heavy - the weight of the free flight aircrafts is one of the most important factors which determines how long will they fly.

At the same time the paper should be robust enough so it doesn't get torn on the first flight. Preferably it would be also sustainable to little amounts of water.

Origami Airplanes And Joint Aircrafts

When choosing plans to download, have in mind the following:

The simple paper airplanes are built following the rules of the art Origami - by using a single sheet of paper and folding. No cutting or sticking is used. Some Origami masters are able to create quite advanced models this way. The origami model airplanes often can fly very well.

The really advanced paper airplanes and especially the paper helicopters / autogyros can't be made by a single sheet. They usually involve using different parts, cutting and sticking them. Building such model aircraft requires more preciseness and patience.

Improving The Design Of Your Paper Airplane And More Tips

If you want your model to fly well, you could do some improvements to the design. Putting more weight in the nose, keeping the model symmetrical and trimming the problematic places can help your plane fly better and longer.

The tail is one of the most important components in the flight, so feel free to experiment with it even if that makes it different than shown in the original plan.

Make sure that your airctaft model is held together and balanced around its center.

Books On Paper Aircrafts

If you want to master the skill of making advanced paper airplanes, invest some time and few bucks in reading one of the following books:

The Gliding Flight: 20 Excellent Fold and fly Paper Airplanes
This is one of the bestseller books in model aviation. Contains 20 original paper airplane designs and offers a refreshing approach to making them.

The Klutz Book of Paper Airplanes
A really big book with 40 designs of paper airplanes some fairly advanced. It comes with sheets of flight-tested, ready-to-fold paper, printed on both sides. And excellent item.

When you build your first advanced paper airplane, feel free to let us know and show us pictures! I'll enjoy to see your progress and even publish it.

Creating Models Using Model Aircraft Kits

One of the most exciting things about the model airplanes is that you can build them yourself without beeing an aviation engineer. The opportunity to test my own skills and creativity is what drives me most to this venture. Starting entirely from scratch howver is possible only after you have gained some experience with the model aviation.

As I have no real interest in just collection ready models (besides to have few RC helicopters) I really wondered what was the best way to start building. The beginning is always the main hurdle. Fortunately there is a middle path - model airplane and helicopter kits.

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The model aircraft kits are packages of parts, paint, glue and instruction papers which offer a significant help in building your model. Creating a model by using a kit is challenging enough, especially for a beginner, without beeing too overwhelming like to create everything from scratch.

Most aircraft model kits are not toys. They are pretty complex and require commitment, precious hand and patience.

Photo by unloveable at Flickr

Types Of Model Aircraft Kits

If you are in the very beginning and are not even sure how passionate you are about creating model airplane yourself, you may want to try am almost ready to fly (ARF) model. These aircrafts come constructed and all you need to do is to paint them.

Some of the most beautiful airplane models come as wood kits. Wood is often used for models of old airplanes and biplans - from the first years of aviation - and for sceleton models. Most scale models are also made of wood (mahagony).

If you want to start building with a simple flying toy airplane, buy a balsa glider kit for just few bucks. Building such model requires almost no skills and time and may not be such a great learning experience.

The plastic model aircraft kits are used for building models of modern airplanes and helicopters, also for constructing RC aircrafts. The plastic kits are usually 2-3 times cheaper than the wood kits.

You can find also other types and sub-types as paper kits, metal kits, kits for rockets or rubber stamp models etc.

How To Choose Model Airplane Kit?

If you are seriously comitted, a kit of wood may be the best choice. For flying models and if you want just to try yourself and your skills, pick a plastic or ARF kit.

The real aircraft which you want to build will also play a big role for your choice, because you might be able to find only one kind of kit - either from plastic or wood.

If you have to choose between several suppliers or the exact model is not very important for you, research for online referrences about the kit - a good kit must contain documentation, markings, all the details, photos and time required for building.

If you choose to buy your kit online, better purchase from quality well known supplier. For example check Amazon - most people think they sell only books, but actually they have a great selection of model airplane kits.

What Does It Take To Build Aircraft Model From Kit

Passion at first place. As I told before, these kits are not toys and building a quality model is not easy. Even the ARF kits require you to carefully paint the different parts and even use different colors where needed.

You need to read the instructions and follow the building sequence for the more complicated kits. It may take time and practice to achieve some effects in the interior. The aerodynamic of the flying models may require very precious sticking of the parts.

Like everything in life, the more efforts and passion you input in your models, the better the end result will be and the happier you will be with it. So don't be afraid to start with a good complex model airplane kit if you feel passionate - even if you lack the experience yet.

Model Aviation Resources

On this page you will find some useful sites, blogs and directories about aviation modeling. If you want to add your resource or exchange links with us, mail me at info@modelsaviation.com and I'll get back to you.

Thirty Thousand Feet - A directory about model and real aviation and aircrafts

RC Plan Mania - A model airplane community for RC hobbyists

AirWon - Aviation and Model Aviation Directory

Building Scale Model Aircraft - Everything you need to know about building scale models

Warplanes - probably the best online store for model airplanes and helicopters

WEB Directory

Automotive Link Directory - Carjunky.com

ATS RC Planes - Radio Control RC Airplanes, ARF'S & More!

RC Helicopters - RC Plane Guide - Extensive guide to learning to how to fly and how to select your first rc plane, helicopter, jet, car, truck & boat. #1 sources for model trains, robot kits, radio flyer wagons, electric and gas scooters & airsoft guns .

Flint Aero R/C Club
Located one mile North of Lennon Michigan. Come experience the fun of R/C flight at Baker Field.

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Types Of Model Aircrafts

When thinking about model airplanes most people quickly imagine radio controlled toys - and no surprise "RC"-s are widely covered on this site too. But there is so much more than that! If you keep reading further you'll see how endless the imagination of the airplane modelists is and how much options are there for you.

Static Model Aircrafts

Static models are obviously not designed to fly. What's exciting about them then? Usually when building static models you can put a lot more into the details. You don't need to worry about the weight of the airplane or about the aerodynamic.

Usually when the modelist create static aircrafts they are looking to replicate exactly existing real machines. What about making a model of Boing with all his doors, windows and even seats inside? That's something what I would love to do or have.

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Paper Aircrafts

Making aircrafts from paper is simple and everyone can do it. This does not make it boring or conventional, because paper allows you to experiment more than most of the other materials.

I have written an entire article about ###paper airplanes### so you can just have a look.

Free Flight Model Airplanes

"Free Flight" means an aircraft which flies without any attachment to the ground - no cable and no even remote control. For example the paper airplanes are usually free flight models - once you throw them away, you don't control them any more.

Most free flight models use elastic motor - a jumping mechanism with a rubber band used to empower the flight. In some - especially in helicopter and other rotorcraft models - this elastic motor is placed within the aircraft and the power is used for the rotor.

A simple version of these is a flying model which is being simply thrown away by hand from a high place.

The free flight models are beautiful, aerodynamic and simple but limited in time of flying and often can be lost.

Ground Controlled Model Aircrafts

The most popular flying airplanes are ground controlled. This includes the R/C airplanes and cable connected aircrafts. The cable connected models are simple and cheaper, but the R/C ones allow a lot more realistic flight.

Most RCs are powered with electric batteries which you can charge at home for few minutes.

And after all what was said above, you can imagine how many combinations between the categories are possible. The options for the new airplane modelist are simply unlimited.

Static Model Aircrafts

Photo by ratterrell at Flickr

The hobby of creating or collectig static model aircrafts is by far the most popular within the aviation model fans. Why is that when static model aircrafts are obviously these which don't fly? Probably because the static models allow even the finest aestetics of the real aircraft to be reproduced in the model. Since the static models don't need to fly, the modelists don't need to worry if the minimized details of the aircraft will violate the aerodynamic.

The static models are build using paper, metal, plastic or wood. The most popular scales of the static model aircrafts are 1:72, 1:48 and 1:144.

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Buying Model Aircraft

The model collectors often buy ready aircrafts with the purpose to build up their collections. If you are more interested in collecting than in modeling yourself you can consider buying ready models too. The quality ones can cost more than $100 depending on the material and scale.

Larger scale models (1:24 or 1:36) contain more details but are typically more expensive.

Collecting ready models is a long term hobby and an investment, as with the time your collection can costs thousands of dollars. Because of that make sure that you are buying only high quality models.

I can recommend you to browse Warplanes for quality static model aircrafts, but feel free to browse the web and discover more quality shops yourself.

Building Static Models From Kits

A more exciting idea is to participate yourself in creating your model collection. This way you are putting your soul and your own style in it which increases the emotional satisfaction and overall value of your models.

There are different kinds of kits available. Some are completely on parts and you will need to construct the airplane by the given instructions. Other kits contain a ready model aircraft and you have only to paint it.

The kits are usually cheaper and don't contain a stand. You can find many larger scale kits and kits of very old biplans. Check out this site for example.

How To Build Static Model Aircraft Yourself?

I am sure you have been asking yourself this while reading this page. That's of course most exciting, but be prepared to go into the deep waters.

First of all, start simple. Don't think about doing scale models, as this is extremely advanced work. Choose some aircraft you like - it can be an airplane, helicopter, autogyro or a glider - and start working on a simple static model for it.

Before jumping into doing your model aircraft yourself, think about this:

You will need time

You will need tools

You will need space

You will need patience

If you are not sure, just buy a kit or almost-ready-to-fly kit and try this way. It's a perfect option to see if you have the patience and want to learn the skills for building model airplanes and helicopters.

If you have already started, I want to know about your progress! Submit comment and link to pictures. If you want to share your model with the other readers on this site you can even mail me pictures and we will upload them on the site!

If you are interested in flying models, check what are they in the article about types of model aircrafts.

Remote Control Airplanes - Cheaper And Easier Than Real Flying

Photo by hyper7pro at Flickr

Have you ever dreamed flying an aircraft? It's quite an involved activity. You must have an aircraft, a pilots license, practice in flying and good health. And if you are like me, you would want to try flying all the aircrafts - airplanes, autogyros, helicopters... That requires a lot of education, time and money.

There is a much easier to achieve hobby - flying and building remote control airplanes (shortly named as RC Airplanes). Yes, they won't pick your body in the air, but they'll give you the joy of being a pilot of all the aircrafts you ever dreamed about.

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So, Why RC Flying?

It's never been easier to do it than it is today. The RC airplanes and helicopters are small and cheap, the batteries live longer than before and the quality of flying is significantly improving.

Most RC aircrafts costs two digits in USD - and can start as low as $20. Most of them have built-in rechargeable batteries which means you don't need to pay for that either.

Remote Control Flying is a very affordable hobby and the quickest way to learn and experience aviation in all its forms. So then why would you not do it?

RC Airplane Clubs Are More Popular Than Before

Don't think that you'll be alone in your hobby. There are millions of people out there who are interested in remote control aircrafts. There are hundreds of clubs where people exchange ideas, discuss and trade RC airplanes and helicopters.

If you want to see what kind of clubs are available out there, check out RC airplane clubs and flying fields directory for clubs in about 15 countries in the world.

Airplanes, Helicopters And More...

Just to give you a basic idea what kind of RC are available out there:

RC airplanes

RC helicopters

RC autogyros

RC gyrodines

RC baloons

RC spaceships

RC rockets

... and even more

Constructing RC Aircrafts Yourself?

No, you are not crazy if you think about this. In fact constructing your own remote control aircraft is probably the thing that you will want to do after flying several ready ones. It's a great hobby and a very important step if you ever thing about building a real airplane yourself! (Oh, yes, there are people who do even this).

In addition to the buyer guides for finding the best ready RC aircrafts, on this site you will find basic and easy to follow instructions on how to build a remote control airplane yourself - and links to the best resources where you can find more information.

Let's together learn more and go into this amazing hobby. And if you want to share your experience or have something to say, feel free to use the comment option belowe.

Popular Model Aircrafts

Do you already own some airplane models or are you just starting? Or maybe you have already built your own models? In all cases, it's a good idea to check out what most aircraft modelists out there like.

Here are some of the coolest and most popular aircraft models:

Spirit of St Louis. A static model typically crafted from wood. It's am extraordinary replica of a real aircraft. Priced from $15 to $150 at Amazon.

Boeing B-17G Flying Fortress. It's a 1/144 scale plastic model, again static. Can be bought for less than $10.

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Piper is a cool model airplane which can be found as a kit, a rubber powered model, an electric RC or just a static model. A typical, lovely and cheap aircraft.

American Airlines Boeing 757-200 is a model of the big commercial airplane available as ready model or a kit. Can be found from $5 to $170.

Air France - A320 . A high class static model, costs over $100.

F-18 Hornet Blue Angels . It's a cheap model kit selling for under $15.

Mini Mosquito RC Helicopter is radio controlled version of the popular Mosquito ultralight helicopter. It's extremely cool toy appropriate both for beginners and more advanced RC pilots.

Blade CX2 RTF Electric Coaxial Micro Helicopter. The micro helicopters own the market in the radio controlled models, because they can fly indoor and allow you to master pilot skills. This one is expensive however and can cost about $200.

The airplane which wins in the RC category is the RC B-29 Super Fortress Airplane with progressive motor speed control. A cool thing as well.

I can continue for several pages, but these should be enough to show you what the other people like. You don't like the same of course. For example my favorite RC helicopter is none of these, but Picco Z. But if you wonder what to be the next model that you buy or create yourself, all of the above model aircrafts are good choices.

Paper Airplanes

Most airplane modelists don't take making paper airplanes seriously. If you are serious airplane modelist you should not take it seriously too.

Last time I checked, making model airplanes was a hobby. It was fun. So why don't we leave all this seriousness and have some fun instead?

Don't be afraid to build paper airplanes if you wish to. They are easy to make, cheap (in fact almost free!) and even the kids can do them.

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There Are Different Designs Of Paper Airplanes

I was surprised when I saw how many people search the web with phrases like "How to make paper airplane" (I'll give you more info on that below), "What kind of paper airplanes are there" or "Paper airplane designs". What designs?! All the paper airplanes I had seen up to that time looked like this:

Picutre by vivekkhurana at Flickr

That's not a rocket science is it? (I agree it looks a bit like a rocket though). Umm, what is all the noise then about?

Let's see... The paper airplanes can look also like...

These:

Photo by Lonnon Foster at Flickr

Or this one:

Photo by Lucina M at Flickr

That looks different indeed. There are all kind of paper aircrafts. Not even only airplanes. What about a paper helicopter, glider or gyrodine?

Photo by radioflyer007 at Flickr

I hope you no longer thing making paper aircrafts is a simple or boring hobby ;)

How To Make Paper Airplane

As I know you like the aircrafts above, I am sure you want to make one yourself. Is it easy or hard? First I planned to create a guide on how to make a paper airplane on this website. But there are so many guides already in the web. So instead of reinventing the wheel, I have researched for a couple of the best ones.

James Card has probably the best but quite extended tutorial on his website.

If you prefer shorter guides with pictures, check out how to make a paper airplane on this website.

If you prefer even quicker and more dynamic example, check out this 5 minutes video. Videos of more models and with better quality can be found at this site for low price.

What's next?

If you started feeling some excitement, it's a good time to tell you that aircraft modeling can be even more fun. People make airplanes not only from paper, but from meccas, plastic, metal, wood or who knows what else. Some of these toys can really fly, some are distantly controlled other fly with wind power...

Just keep browsing this site and you will find out about all of this.

If you are eager to start wiht paper airplanes sooner, consider reading Fighter Jets: Paper Airplanes That Really Fly .

Model Helicopters and Other Rotorcraft

There is a famous joke across aviation entusiasts. It says the helicopter owners are poor because they spend all their money on their helis. The real helicopters are bloody expensive to own and support indeed. There is nothing like that with the model ones.

Imagine you own all the helicopters you dreamed about and they all sit in your room. You could have model gas helicopters, electric ones, rubber band powered choppers and more! Well, of course that's possible only with models.

So, what do you think about

Remote Control Helicopters?

Certainly it's quite exciting to see this little toy flying in your room and landing on the TV. How many kinds of RC helicopters are available on the market? Thousands. But typically they fall within one of the following categories:

Electric remote control helicopter. Like in other types of RC aircrafts, electric are the most popular now. Easy and suitable for beginners, produces no noise and smell

Gas remote control helicopter. Comes closest to flying a real helicopter. This kind of helis are expensive, complicated and suitable for most advanced RC fans. If you want a model gas helicopter you may need to get your hands dirty.

Mini remote control helicopter. Some of the electric remote control helicopters are labeled as mini because of their small even for a model size. The mini RC helicopters are suitable for indoor usage.

Micro remote control helicopter. If you have seen one, you'll know what a jewel it is. Less than 8 inches and still flying.

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So cool, isn't it? What else:

Photo by Jan Basset at Flickr

Static Helicopter Models...

... can be exact copies of popular models of real helicopters. Some static models are made of wood others are made of plastic.

There are also

Model helicopter kits

which allow you to build models easy yourself but wihtout starting from scratch.

Modeling with kits is very appropriate for people who don't want just to buy ready toys, but have no experience in building models themselves yet. If you are in this category, consider buying a kit and don't worry, the time to build entirely yourself will come.

Are there other kinds of rotorcraft models?

Of course - think about autogyros, gyrodines, ultralight helicopter models.

Only your imagination is the limit.

How To Fly A Radio Controlled Helicopter

People say that flying a helicopter is like speaking, eating and playing piano at the same time. I have never tried myself (neither the 3 things above together, nor flying a real heli), but from people who have done it I know it's really hard.

Fortunately flying an RC Helicopter is easier. But it's still a subject on the same logic.

Photo by Locutis at Flickr

Typical Radio Controlled Helicopter

The hobby-grade RC helis are made much simpler than the real helicopters, however you can't escape the physics. The helicopters must fly without rotating around their center. This is the problem which all rotorcrafts, including radio controlled, must solve.

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Because of this, there are two types of RC helis. First type looks like the real ones and have one big propeller on top and one small on the side of the tailpiece. The small propeller is there to react in the opposite direction of the main one. This way rotating is avoided.

The second popular type has two main propellers on the top, each one rotating in different direction. This way you can achieve the balance.

Both types of helicopters however usually have similar remote control tools.

So How To Fly RC Helicopters

Most RC helicopters can fly up and down, left, right, back and forth. Usually you won't be able to control the speed unless you have a very advanced model.

The most typical configuration on the remote controls contains 3 pieces: horizontal control, vertical control and balance.

There isn't really much to say about how exactly you can control your chopper, as you can master it only with practice. After a week or so you can be a good RC pilot.

Some Common Issues

Flying an RC is not a rocket science but it still hides some pitfalls which may disappoint you especially in your first tries.

The helicopter is not picking up. Usually that means the battery is low. Some RC toys must be fully loaded before they can fly

It's flying too quick or too slow. Until you get used to the control you may be pushing the buttons a bit too far or not enough. In 90% of the cases the problem is in the pilot.

The room is too narrow to fly. If your helicopter is too big, it may be designed to fly outside. Check the manual. Or move to a larger room :-) Most RC helicopters are designed for indoor usage.

I know this article did not teach exactly how to fly your own RC toy. The specific controls may differ depending on the brand and model. We will discuss the most popular brands in the other articles on this site.

How To Choose A Radio Controlled Aircraft?

Photo by hyper7pro at Flickr

If this is your first time to purchase an RC aircraft, then great. You arrive here at the right time. If you have already bought one and not very happy with it, you will still benefit of reading this.

Buying a toy may look like a very simple thing, but it also has its fine details. Don't rush into buying before you learn more about them.

As a beginning, you can start by reading this article.

The Price Range

For a beginner RC aircraft enthusiast it's better not to spend a lot of money on your first purchase. Second time buyers may want to have something more fancy, but never forget that essentially you are just buying a toy.

In any case, spending $100 or more is not recommended, unless you are experienced hobbyist and want a really elaborate airplane. Most RC aircrafts start from $20, so $20 - $40 is a good price range for a newbie.

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Simplicity

You have plenty of time to learn controlling complicated radio controlled airplanes. If you are just starting, try with some of the simplest models. Buying a complicated one from the start will not only cost you more, but may also push you away from your hobby.

Initially I wanted to own an RC helicopter and to be honest I still like them most. However the helicopters are really hard to control even from experienced RC hobbyists. I could easily get disappointed by my inability to keep it in the air for more than few seconds because it was quickly hitting the wall or the ceiling. Fortunately I was really passionate and did not give up.

Electric or Gas?

Some of the RC beginners don't even know there are model airplanes driven by gas. Indeed, electric aircrafts are more appropriate for new hobbyists. They are cheaper and their ongoing maintenance is much easier. Finally, there are a lot more electric RC aircraft available on the general toy stores.

On the other side, the toys that use gas are fairly more exciting because of the realistic feeling that you get flying them. The gas models are generally harder to fly and find - they are sold at more specialized toy shops. In short, gas models are for more advanced users and passionate "pilots".

The Kits

There are thousands of people out there who build real airplanes from kits. Then why wouldn't you be able to build an model airplane this way?

Of course you can do it. Typically the kits for RC airplanes are more elaborate and require some commitment and basic technical skills. But if you are passionate enough, it's much more fun to go this way rather than buying a ready plane.

Finally, buying a model airplane is not a big deal - it costs less than good jeans and can be done from home. So don't spend too much time planning and thinking - just get into the game!

A good place to check for RC aircrafts is Warplanes - they have quality models and the prices are pretty decent.

Get Into Airplane Modeling

As someone interested in the Ultralight Aviation I have always been amazed in how many different kinds of aircraft people's imagination can create. While the real airplanes and even the ultralights are quite expensive or require years of human work if you want to create one yourself, this is not the case with the airplane modeling.

If you want to experience, own or construct many kinds of aircraft, modeling is exactly for you. There are different ways to get involved into this exciting hobby. Consider some of these ideas:

Buying Model Airplane

The easiest way to jump into any hobby is first to buy a few of the end products and see how you enjoy them. There are thousands of stores online and offline where you can find an endless variety of model airplanes. The most reliable place is probably Amazon.

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Buying airplane models is not expensive - typically the simple ones start from $10 or $30 for the RC models. If you check at your local stores you can find even cheaper ones.

If it's so simple, then why going further? Umm, what about the argument that doing things on your own is more fun?

Building Model Aircraft From Kits

Do you know what is the most popular way of buying ultralight and light sport aircraft? No, pilots don't buy so many airplanes neither build them from scratch. Most aviation enthusiasts buy airplane kits and build them.

This is pretty valid for the model airplane hobbyists as well.

The kits or ARF (almost ready to fly) items are cool for many reasons, especially if you are just starting and have tried only completed models so far:

There are thousands of models

It's relatively easy to build from kit

It's still an exciting challenge

It's a great learning experience

If you are keen on building model airplanes, it's most recommended to start with a kit or ARF.

Learn more about model airplane kits here.

Creating Model Aircrafts From Scratch

If you are really a game, that's what you would do. In any case, this option is for more advanced aviation hobbyists, so most probably it won't be the first thing for a beginner to start.

What kind of model airplanes could you create from scratch?

1. Paper airplanes
Easy and fun, although this is a lot more appropriate for beginners and even kids rather than building complex models from kits. I mention it here, just because it's really creating a model from scratch. (Well, typically from a sheet of paper).

2. Non flying models
These don't look too cool to me - why would you make an aircraft which doesn't fly? Well, it's not really that simple. Making non flying models is not only kind of an art but it also helps you learn the aerodynamics and other important aviation principles.

The non flying models are typically exact copies of some real aircrafts which may require a lot of preciseness and eye for the small details. They can be extremely beautiful and valuable.

3. Of course it's the coolest thing to make flying airplane models. Free flying models can be simple, but still require precise work. Controlled and RC controlled toys can involve you deeper into technology and require more knowledge to be obtained. But it's rare satisfaction to see your own airplane flying in the sky under your control.

Typically a beginner aviation modelist would go in the order of steps as given above. But don't get bounded to it - if you feel you want to start directly from ARF why not go ahead? It's a hobby, not a work, so you are free to do it in the most enjoyable for you way.

Free Flight Model Aircrafts

Flying can be really simple and even the kids know that. Who hasn't played with a paper airplane as a kid? And the big kids we are now, we still like to do this exciting game, don't we? Of course we always want to make the things more advanced.

The free flight model aircrafts are easy to build, cheap to buy and fun to play with. People even create competition for free flight model airplanes all over the world.

The simplest free flight model aircraft is a static but aerodynamic toy. It can be thrown away by hand and can keep flying for few minutes depending on its weight and the wind.

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Powered Free Flight Models

Essentially all flying models are powered in one way or another - even if the startinc power comes from the muscles on your hand. But there are plenty other options as well - rubber band powered, mechanic motors, gas, electricy or CO2 models.

Typically the free flight models rare include too complex or expensive motors because of the risk to be lost. For this eason even the complete models that are sold on the market are typically very cheap, sometimes under $10.

Photo by sofafort at Flickr

Free Flight Model Aircraft Kits

Like with the RC aircrafts and the static models, there are plenty of kits for free flight models. The kits come in parts or as almost-ready-to-fly where you need just to compose few things and eventually paint your aircraft.

The most popular free flight kits are for airplanes, but you can easy find kits for helicopters or gliders, and why not balloons.

The prices of free flight kits start from $10 - $20 and are pretty affordable.

The quality kits contain parts of modern composite materials which are light and assure great flight. The parts are laser cut to avoid roughnesses and discrepancies.

Creating Free Flight Model Aircrafts Yourself

If you have read the article about static model aircrafts you already know that building scale models is for advanced model enthusiasts.

The free flight models do not need to be exact copies of real aircrafts and can be pretty much simplified. You can create your model with bigger wings and lighter corpse to ensure better flying.

If you have no experience building model aircrafts so far and have no serious knowledge in aeronautics, the best way to start building is to use model airplane plans. You can find a lot of free plans on this site. Make sure to follow the instructions exactly if you want your airplane to fly.

There is nothing as exciting as seeing something made by your hands soaring in the sky. Once you experience it, you will want to create more and free flight models - and can even decide to try building an RC aircraft yourself.