I’ve been a radio control (RC) pilot for over a decade. Most beginner guides I see tend to start by saying “find an in-person mentor”, but for some this is not an option, and others still would prefer to at least get some foothold into the hobby before committing to finding a club or mentor nearby.
Say you want to learn the basics of controlling a model aircraft (plane or helicopter), but don’t want to make a massive investment into the hobby, or source out a local club yet. How do you learn to fly an RC aircraft?
Buy an RC Flight Simulator
An “RC flight simulator” is a video game that uses a physical joystick with a USB cable. This joystick is exactly like the controller you would use to wirelessly fly an RC aircraft. By flying virtually at a 3D field in the game, you learn how to operate the controls of model aircraft and gain essential motor skill practice.
Popular Option: RealFlight
RealFlight is a very popular RC simulator, but there are others out there. A good second-hand deal on RealFlight is about $50 or less including both the physical joystick and software. Some places to find good deals on second-hand simulators are the RCGroups Classifieds and eBay.
Cheapest Option (with some tinkering)
If you are cheaper and willing to tinker a little, you can find free simulator software online (ex. ClearView SE and PicaSim), but you will still need the physical joystick to use it. You may have to manually program / map the joystick’s output to the software’s specifications. It’s doable - that’s what I did. The joystick alone I bought was about $20 - you can search for “Dynam USB RC Simulator” and find them around the internet for sale.
Make Sure your Controls are Right!
If you are brand new to aviation, you may not be aware that pulling back on the joystick (moving the right stick towards you) makes the aircraft tilt upwards. Make sure you calibrate the joystick properly, otherwise you will be learning the wrong controls.
RealFlight’s manual includes instructions on what each stick should control when moved (click here - see page 324). Since this specifically describes helicopter controls, note that it is the same for planes, except the throttle stick (left side, vertical movement) controls the speed of the propeller in the front instead of blades on a helicopter.
Simulators Save Money!
No matter what type of RC aircraft you plan to fly, learn it first on a simulator. This way, you can learn how to operate the controls and virtually crash an infinite number of times without any repairs needed. If you want to see some videos of different simulators, search on YouTube, there are tons of tutorials and flying demos available.
Best,
Daniel