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Archive for the ‘RTF RC Airplanes’ Category

RTF Airplanes with a Number of Channels

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RTF airplanes are RC airplanes that come ready to fly when ordered. The number of channels has to do with the number of controls the airplane has. A single channel will control one servo and a single channel can do control one thing like; ailerons, elevator, throttle gas or electric, rudder, retractable gear, flaps or vectored thrust.

RTF Airplane Channels

1.    Ailerons - controls roll.
2.    Elevator - controls pitch (up and down).
3.    Throttle or, if electric, motor speed.
4.    Rudder (or Vertical Stabilizer)- controls yaw (left and right).
5.    Gear/Retracts - controls retractable landing gear (usually in conjunction with gear doors).

A simple RTF Trainer airplane would have the three channels, 2, 3 and 4. The trainer aircraft would be either hand launched or fixed landing gear. Moving up the ladder also in degree of difficulty adds more channels to do more control of the aircraft. 4 Channel planes have 1, 2, 3 and 4 adding ailerons that allow you to do aerobatic maneuvers and also add to the fun.

Many more channels are possible and when you max out the capability of an RC package of 8 channels sometime a second RC package is used with a second pilot.

Some of the other channel controls are auxiliary controls for flaps, bomb bay doors and for the 3D flyers there are extra control surfaces like spoilerons, flaperons and elevons.

Some of the miscellaneous controls can be lights, cameras or an ejection seat for the pilot or the launch of a second plane that is ferried up into the sky.

The RTF airplane will come with all of the equipment installed and ready to fly after installing the batteries and maybe attaching the wings to the fuselage. Maybe a few small adjustments but this type of aircraft is ready to fly out of the box.