RC AIRPLANE MODELLING ESSENTIALS

This instructable will guide you through the electronic components, parts, tools and building materials required to start modelling your own foam-based electric RC planes.

It is advised to be in possession of these elements prior to engaging in your hobby to ensure good health and peace of mind :

1) A personal space

2) A table and a chair you are comfortable with

3) A good source of lighting

4) A spike buster

It is recommended to work on a 4 Ft X 2 Ft table as most of the models will be built out of a 30" X 20" sheet of laminated foam.

We will be using these online calculators very frequently on our journey to design our own models :

1) Wing Designer

2) Wing Cubic Loading

3) One stop solution

1) A 2.4 GHz R.F Transmitter, Receiver and power pack for the transmitter

2) A Lithium Polymer battery pack, voltage indicator cum low voltage alarm and a LiPo battery charger

3) XT60, Dean, JST and 3.5mm bullet connectors

4) Assorted PVC wires and heat shrink tubing

5) Electronic Speed Controller, Battery Eliminator Circuit and a servo tester

6) Brushless and Brushed DC motors

7) Servo motors, servo extensions and Y splitters

1) Assorted electric propellers, propeller adapters and a propeller balancer

2) BLDC motor mounts

3) Control rods and horns, clevises and linkage stoppers

4) Landing gear wheels and mount

1) A soldering station

2) A hot glue gun

3) A precision screwdriver set and magnetic screw tray

4) A set of Allen keys

5) A precision knife, pair of scissors and nippers

6) A multimeter, digital weighing scale and meter scale

BUILDING MATERIALS :

1) Paper laminated foam board

2) Corrugated plastic

3) Thermocol ( Polystyrene) sheets

4) Balsa wood sheets

5) Carbon fibre strips and rods

6) Bamboo skewers and popsicle sticks

FASTENERS :

1) Nuts, bolts stand offs and washers

2) Zip ties

3) Velcro straps

4) Rubber bands

ADHESIVES :

1) Hot glue sticks

2) General glue

3) Super glue

4) Epoxy resin

5) Packing tape, Electrical tape, Double sided tape and glass fibre tape

1) ELECTRONICS :

Communication system : FlySky CT6B Tx Rx 6 channels

1.5 V AA cells ( 8 pcs ) : Envie AA 1000 4PL Ni-CD Rechargeable

LiPo battery : Orange 3S 1000 mAh 30C/40C

LiPo battery charger : SkyRC E3 2S-3S LiPo

LiPo low voltage alarm cum voltmeter : 1S-8S voltmeter

ESC : SimonK 30A 2S-3S

Servo tester : Multi tester

BLDC motor : A2212 1000KV Out runner

Servo motors ( 2 pcs ) : SG90 Mini 180

Servo extensions ( 2 pcs ) : 150 mm extender

Servo Y splitter : 150 mm Y splitter

2) PARTS AND ACCESSORIES :

Electric propellers : Orange HD Propellers (8X4.5) Glass Fiber Nylon Gray 1CW+1CCW

Control rods : D1X650mm

Control horns : 16x20mm

Tricycle landing gear : Landing gear

3) TOOLS :

Soldering station : 8 in 1

Precision screwdriver : Jackly 33 in 1

Allen keys : Stanley 69-253 10 pieces

Hot glue gun : Stanley 40 Watts

Multimeter : Digital Multimeter Small Yellow Color LCD AC DC Measuring Voltage Current

Precision knife : Precision knife

Digital weighing scale : Max 5 KG

4) BUILDING MATERIALS, FASTENERS AND ADHESIVES :

Foam sheet : FliteBoard 30" x 20" 5mm 5 sheets

Nuts, bolts and washers: M3 15mm SS Allen bolts

Bamboo skewers : 12 inches

Velcro strap : 30cm strap

Rubber bands : 3mm wide 20 pcs

Glue sticks : Themisto Milky White

1) ELECTRONICS :

Communication system : Turnigy T6A-V2 AFHDS Mode 2 2.4GHz 6Ch Transmitter w/Receiver

LiPo battery : Turnigy nano-tech 1000mah 3S 25~50C Lipo Pack

LiPo battery charger : Turnigy Accucel-6 80W 10A 1~6S Balancer/Charger

LiPo low voltage alarm cum voltmeter : HobbyKing™ BX100 1~8S Twin Buzzer LiPo/LiFe/Li-Ion Voltage Checker

ESC : HobbyKing 30A (2~4S) ESC 3A UBEC

Servo tester : HobbyKing™ Servo Tester

BLDC motor : Turnigy L2210C-1200 Brushless Motor (150w)

Servo motors ( 2 pcs ) : HXT900 Micro Servo 1.6kg / 0.12sec / 9g

Servo extensions ( 2 pcs ) : 10cm Servo Lead Extension (JR) 26AWG (10pcs/bag)

Servo Y splitter : 30cm Servo Y Lead (Futaba) (5pcs/bag)

2) PARTS AND ACCESSORIES :

Electric propellers : Gemfan Glass Nylon 1045 2- Bladed Propeller Black (CW/CCW)

Control horns : Horn X-Large w/ Clevis 55x40mm and eyelet (5sets)

Tricycle landing gear : Tail Wheel Assembly and Alloy Landing Gear With 90mm Wheels

3) TOOLS :
Soldering station : RadioShack Soldering Starter Kit with 20W Soldering Iron

Precision screwdriver : RadioShack 6-Piece Precision Electronics Screwdriver Set

Allen keys : TEKTON Hex Key Wrench Set

Hot glue gun : STANLEY Glue Gun

Multimeter : Turnigy 870E Digital Multimeter w/Backlit Display

Precision knife : Hobby Precision No 1 Modelling Knife with No 11 Blade and Safety Cover

Digital weighing scale : Amazon Basics Stainless Steel Digital Kitchen Scale with LCD Display, Batteries Included

4) BUILDING MATERIALS, FASTENERS AND ADHESIVES :

Foam sheet : Flite Test Water-Resistant Foam Board By Adams (25 Pack)

Velcro strap : Optipower Hook & Loop Battery Strap (Medium) (20x225mm)

Glue sticks : Flite Test 10" Hot Glue Sticks (10)

If you are interested in documenting and publishing your work then these will be a good addition to your arsenal :

1) A digital camera and/or videocam and accessories

2) Camera flashes and accessories

3) A microphone to plug into your camera

4) A decent full sized tripod

5) Digital storage devices and accessories

6) A Personal Computer

7) A scientific calculator

Ensure to check the guidelines put forth by your state before your maiden flight.

Make sure to bring all the necessary repair tools and parts with you to the flight club.

Don't fly in crowded zones and avoid flying with the wind.

Click here for more information regarding the legality of flying your RC models. ( INDIA EXCLUSIVE )

Consider following me on my Instagram page :

hertzandmadden