How-tos Archives - Model Airplane News

Dealing with In-Flight Failures

Sooner or later, every pilot will encounter a situation where something within fails during flight. Even though you may not be able to predict all types of malfunctions, it is important to know some common problems and how to react when a malfunction occurs. Let’s explore some unknowns — electrical and structural failures, pre-flight problems, […]

4 Simple Shop Tips

Simple tricks are the best, don’t you think? These tips may not change your life, but they will make your time in the shop easier and more enjoyable. Have your own tip you’d like to share? Send it to MAN@airage.com and you could be featured in the magazine–and score a free subscription to The Hangar, […]

10 Field & Bench Tips

With time, experience and lots of trial and error, we RC modelers all learn good way to do accomplish workshop tasks and/or flying field repairs. The simplest things can often make the biggest difference. Be sure to leave comments about your favorite field or bench trick or tip. 1 Charged Battery ID If you have a bunch of […]

Power Up! – Gas Engines 101

Whether your goal is to fly big 3D aerobatic planes or to pilot giant-scale warbirds, understanding how gasoline engines operate and how to properly set them up is extremely important. Besides their great fuel efficiency, gas engines are reliable, easy to start and overall are very user-friendly. Like all power systems, however, they need to […]

Workshop Tips

We have the best readers around! You guys are always coming up with clever ways to make building and flying easier, and we love when you share your tips with us at MAN@airage.com. Here are a few of our favorites. A SHARP IDEA Most model airplanes use dowels to secure the leading edge of the […]

Cheap DIY RC Plane

Here’s a fun DIY video on how to make a cheap RC plane powered by a single 3.7 volt battery — proving anyone with some ingenuity and a few dollars can get out there and fly RC!

Simple & Effective: Realistic Cockpit Effect

Join Tim McKay for another top tip to get your RC plane looking more scale. This one is super easy and cheap, and it will upgrade your look!

Favorite DIY Advice

Who says old dogs can’t learn new tricks? Here at Model Airplane News, we learn something every day — usually from our readers, the best RC’ers on the planet. Here are four of our favorites. Have a tip you’d like to share? Send the tip and a quick photo to MAN@airage.com! Simple Crush Plate Purchase […]

DIY Control Horns and Servo Mounts

I receive at least one unsolicited credit card every month. Usually, I cut them up and throw them in the trash. Ollie Edwards of the Scottsdale, AZ Model Flyers uses the cards to make control horns and servo mounts. They work great on his flat-wing models and probably would be adequate for backyard airplanes of […]

LAND LIKE A PRO

We’ve all heard the old adage: takeoffs are optional; landings are mandatory. Bringing a plane back to the ground safely is a pilot’s top goal. Unfortunately, one of the hardest maneuvers for an RC airplane to perform is the landing, and it is the first one that we pilots must learn to perfect to keep […]

Corsair Metal Canopy Frame

William Warburton is building a heavily modified, totally scaled-out Gold Edition Top Flite Corsair, and he has shared some of this aircraft’s special details with us. Check out the canopy frame in process! William writes: I fabricated the canopy frame from 0.016-inch brass sheeting material. I made a paper tracing of the canopy frame from […]

Custom Servo Installation

This neat workbench trick is the work of Ken Park, who worked out his servo installation issues while working on an electric jet with relatively thin wing panels. Here’s what Ken has to say. Well, it’s been a lot of fun getting into RC Jets, but I have noticed is that the really impressive ones come […]