| RC airplanes are exact miniature replicas of the | | | | members get their planes to fly in the open skies. |
| various planes that have graced the skies with their | | | | At times, they may even organize competitions within |
| flights some time or the other. It could be a magnificent | | | | the club, to find out who the ACE PILOT is. There are |
| B-52 Bomber, or the formidable Airbus or the graceful | | | | usually two kinds of competitions; COMBATS and |
| Concord, albeit with much lesser power. These RC | | | | SKILL. In the skill mode, pilots with airplanes of the |
| planes (also known as model airplanes) are generally | | | | same engine capacity are pitted against each other to |
| tough to fly the first few times, but once you get the | | | | display their skills and successfully complete certain |
| hang of them, you will be hooked. | | | | maneuvers within the demarcated area, in a specific |
| Model airplanes are usually made up of plywood, balsa | | | | period of time. In the combat mode streamers are tied |
| wood or, at times, of composite fiber. Like their real | | | | to the ends of the two competing planes. The |
| counterparts, the design of a model plane is based on | | | | objective for the contestants is to cut the streamers |
| its utility, power of the motor and most importantly on | | | | of their opponents using their propellers or tail or wings, |
| the skill of the 'PILOT'. The engine generally consists of | | | | at the same time ensuring, they do not fly out of the |
| a motor ranging from 15cc up to 75cc, and some | | | | 'combat zone'. After landing the pilot with the longer |
| ingenious designers have been known to rev up their | | | | length of streamer attached to his plane is adjudged |
| engines up to 95cc! | | | | the winner. |
| The trainer planes are usually more bulky with a | | | | Although this form of competition sounds rather drab, it |
| composite fiber body. They are designed to be slow, | | | | is extremely popular within the flying community. The |
| so that rookies get a hang of flying the planes, before | | | | objective of such competitions is to test the talent of |
| they can actually start displaying their gravity defying | | | | the pilot and not the machine. The most important |
| skills. As the flying skills of a person improve, one can | | | | aspect here is that only planes of the same engine |
| gradually start to elevate to sleeker and faster planes. | | | | capacity are competing against each other. |
| The sport of flying RC Airplanes has been around for | | | | Flying model airplanes with friends and peers has been |
| many decades now. Many model airplane flying clubs | | | | known to be a great stress buster. These planes are |
| have been set up almost all around the world, and | | | | available at most hobby stores, ready to be purchased |
| members have been increasing steadily, but surely. | | | | off the shelf or as assembly kits. Many innovative |
| The organizers or administrators of these associations | | | | pilots have been known to design their own planes, |
| arrange for weekly or fortnightly meets, wherein the | | | | using only their imagination as a blueprint. |