IT HAS BEEN a long, but hopefully educational and not too difficult, road to this point. In the preceding "From the Ground Up" installments, Bob Aberle covered what an airborne radio-control system is, how to choose one, how to install one, and how to keep one working well. He also covered electric motors, batteries, and the basics of electric-powered RC flight. The articles before those detailed the mysteries of the modern glow engine in all its incarnations.

    If, at times, it seems that there is more information than you really want, it is because the "From the Ground Up" concept is to present everything that a new RC pilot will need to know in the first few years. It is hoped that learning the technical aspects of model aviation from these articles or from fellow pilots might be more fun—and less expensive—than being educated by "Fractured Balsa University." With this in mind, let's move on.

At this point we have an engine and a radio system. Nice, but we need something to house these items. It would be convenient if this housing for the engine and radio were also able to lift the assembly off of the ground.

    There is such a structure, and we call it the airframe, the model, the airplane, or other less-polite names when all is not working well. Whatever it is called, the airframe is the next topic. Specifically, I will be discussing ARF and RTF aircraft.

    Yes, there are many other types of model airplanes. Some are built from wood kits—assembled one stick at a time—and then covered. Some consist of fiberglass fuselages and Styrofoam (foam) wing cores with balsa sheeting. Some are built straight from plans. In that process, the builder cuts the wood into all the pieces of a kit and then starts the assembly. Last, there are modelers who design their own aircraft, draw the plans, create the kit, and then build it. Future "From the Ground Up" installments will detail all of these airplanes.

    The following articles will cover the types of airframes available and which are best suited to learning the basics of RC flight. Along the way I will include some thoughts about how to modify RTF and ARF airframes to improve performance and durability. Proper balancing is important, as is building the airframe straight and true.

    RTF and ARF appearances are usually predetermined, but there are some ways in which even beginning pilots can make minor changes to the looks to set their aircraft apart from all the others. Radio setup can be optimized on many models—even on some RTF airframes.

    The sheer number of ARF and RTF aircraft is astounding. There are Scale models that replicate full-scale airplanes and competition models meant for aerobatic-performance contests. There are basic trainers, biplanes, second aircraft, sport models, 3-D performers, and some that defy any logical description.

    All of those accomplish their design tasks far better than their compatriots of just 20 years ago. But new RC pilots will usually find it best to begin with a "basic trainer"-type aircraft. 

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