Featured News Archives - Model Airplane News

$1 vs $10,000 RC Airplane!

We may already have a good idea which airplane comes out on top, but that’s only part of the fun. This terrific video puts RC airplanes from wildly different price points head to head and shows what you really get as the dollars go up. It’s a must-watch for RC pilots — peak RC entertainment […]

CARDBOARD Airplane for Human Flight?!

Check out this video featuring a team of engineers—brilliant, inventive, and maybe just a little bit crazy—as they put a cardboard airplane to the test for human flight. Would you trust a plane made primarily of cardboard? Would you fly it? There’s only one way to find out how this story ends, watch the video and see how […]

Traits of Successful RC Clubs

Traits of Successful RC Clubs Assuming that there is a willingness to take steps to increase flying activity at your club, please don’t let perfect be the enemy of good! That is, just because you can’t do everything that has worked for other clubs doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t do anything. Giving a few of […]

Free Plans! Build Your Own Hi-Max

Take your pick of wingspan—25 inches for free flight or 50 inches for 4-channel RC—and start building this Pat Tritle design of the classic homebuilt! The Hi-Max’s simple lines, few curves, and egg-crate-style wing make it a fast, fun project for any builder. Download the free plans for both versions below, print them to size, […]

Easy DIY Scale Louvers

When I built a scale model of a World War I German Albatros D.V, I needed to make some functional louvers. I powered the model with an Enya .53 four-stroke engine, and it was almost completely enclosed in the fuselage. To add sufficient cooling, I needed to make the louvers function, but at the same […]

Stealth at the RC Flying Field?

When’s the last time you saw a B-2 at your local flying field? Powered by twin 100N turbines, this jet is a head-turner on the flightline—but once it lifts off, it’s truly breathtaking. Kudos to CARF-Models on this remarkable scale achievement. Just as they are in the full-size jet, the turbines are mounted low and […]

Rudder: Use it to Fly Better!

Pilots should begin their flying careers by using rudder from the very beginning. One of the ways we used to help beginner pilots is by programming in an aileron/rudder mix from the very start. This improves the plane’s performance by eliminating adverse yaw, which is the opposite yaw or skid inherent with aileron deflections on […]

Tufnut Free Downloadable Plan

In our January 1955 issue, MAN introduced readers to the Tufnut—a simple yet clever free-flight model offered as a free plan. Now, seven decades later, we’re bringing it back for free once again! The Tufnut was born out of the frustrations of many first-time builders who struggled with their early attempts at rubber-powered models. Its designer set […]

10-Foot-Span Tankbuster

Pilot Jason “Woody” Eldridge takes his rare Mibo A-10—reportedly the only one flying in the UK—on a spectacular flight. The 1/5.8-scale jet is wearing a custom scheme honoring the legendary “Memphis Belle” B-17.

Removable Engine Installation

We’ve seen it time and time again: a giant-scale airplane noses over with enthusiasm and the engine and firewall are ripped out of the fuselage requiring major repairs. For the engine installation in my 85-inch version of the Ziroli Skyraider, I came up with a removable, through-the-firewall setup for engine attachment for a couple of […]

Giant B-24 Liberator

Check out this huge B-24 Liberator scratch built and flown by Francesco “Checco” Zen. The model took 4 years to build and has a wing span of 236 inches. Four ZG45 45cc 2-cycle engines provide power and it tips the scales at 180 pounds. The B-24 Liberator nicknamed Witchcraft (serial number 42-52534, Q2-M) was flown […]

Tribute to Hazel Sig

While visiting AMA HQ recently I thought I would share this as a tribute to Hazel Sig-Hester. She was an amazing lady and left a legacy to our hobby and the people that knew or even met her. Her 1/3-scale Skywalker hangs in the atrium for all visitors to the Headquarters building to enjoy and […]