ORIGINAL: OliverJacob
If you spend an afternoon at your local flying club, all your questions will be answered.
Then when you get a good kit, a good manual has a few pages of explanations in it.
Otherwise you can look for the full scale literature. Those will explain why an airplane flies and what the control surfaces do and then some....
(most people believe in the Bernoulli theory, I think that guy had too much vino).
You can also Google most of the information you need.
If you are afraid to build - just buy a good kit and take your time building it. Or get an ARF - or just buy a used trainer.
The best way to learn is to get started. Yes, you will make mistakes and you will learn from it. Don't be scared to ask a 'dumb' question.
Get help from some fellow RC pilots in your area, don't try to teach yourself how to fly - this is always a very frustrating experience.
And even the best pilots break stuff - that is why we always bring more then one plane to the field.
Well, my fear of flying is diminishing. I'm just looking for something to read while I'm waiting to afford the kit and start building. For now, no ARF's, used trainers, or RTF planes. I'm a little broke right now, so I figured getting a book to read will help me learn a bit, and quell my wife's wish that I read more. The book is not to learn to fly. I will go to a club for that. I wanted to find a "building" book that outlines a first plane and moreso explain most of the terms. I would rather sit down with a book with all the info than spend half the day googling stuff. I dont know what half the terms are much less a
reliable source to find out.
I have sent emails to 3 different local clubs (the farthest club I emailed is about 45 miles away from me) and have heard nothing back. I think the season is about over here. One member of one of the clubs offered to meet with me and show me the ropes a bit this year, but the wind has been so bad the last few days, nobody in their right mind would fly a plane. SO, as far as the club thing goes, I think I'm out of luck until spring.