The first R/C pilots taught themselves... using essentially FF aircraft with rudder control so they could (hopefully, it the radio worked.[img]i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif[/img] ) guide the darn thing back to close to where they started...

Early radios took 112 to 240 v power for the TX and often had 48 v batteries in the plane. A Kadet Sr with a strong .61 would have trouble lifting some of these early 1 ch systems...

(should I go on? I've got the 1936 to 1942 magazines relating the info...)