Saturday, December 10, 2016

Radio Control Airplanes - (ARF) Versus (RC Kit)

Flying model airplanes is something I have enjoyed for most of my life. Like a lot of folks my age, I got started in the hobby as a kid flying control-line airplanes. My first aircraft was a Cox PT-19 .049 flight trainer. It was heavy and didn't fly very well, but I loved it. After the Cox was damaged beyond repair, my dad took me to a real hobby shop where we picked out my first kit. My father was a model airplane enthusiast from way back. In those days, they built all of their models from kits. Prefabricated ARF (Almost Ready to Fly) models were not even available at that time. So, from the beginning, I had to learn to build airplanes before I got a chance to fly them.

Years later, I began flying radio control. I started with a 2 meter glider, then moved on to powered flight. The first ARF type of plane I purchased was a Duraplane Aerobat 40. It was supposed to be nearly indestructible. I did eventually manage to destroy it, however. It was heavy and had to be flown at a high rate of speed. What I learned early on is that these prefabricated ARF planes were convenient, but they were a bit heavy and didn't fly as well as my kit built planes.