Mikmaxx in far off Samoa,

This has been a fun thread to read. Without question the best way to learn is under the guidance of those who have gone before. However, large separation from any source of help is the one circumstance that justifies giving a sincere answer here. Yes, RC flying can be self taught. It’s not easy. It won’t happen fast. But if our interest level is high enough to make up for setbacks, here goes:

First you’ll need patience. In the days before ARFs, completing an aircraft construction project was the regular price of admission. Even if you do start with an ARF, you will be doing repair work!

When you fly, you are going to have to observe and interpret events for yourself. One great benefit of the information age is you can discuss events with experienced RC’ers right away. If you can’t train with an instructor in person, you can still communicate with one. This will help a bunch.

You will need a large area to fly at. Some place with a forgiving surface. A large flat field of tall grass is ideal, with as few airplane grabbers (tress, rocks,…) as possible. And for safety it must be far away from people and structures.

Last, you will need a suitable airplane. Your idea of a park flyer or glider is on the right track. The plane must be able to fly and stay right side up just fine by itself. It must fly very slow, and should have a simple easy to repair structure. Many “trainers” claim these qualities but not really so true for most of them. I’m talking about the kind of inherent stability that “free flight” and “old timer” aircraft posses. Those types in kit or ARF are hard to find these days. There are many very light polyhedral winged thermal flying gliders still around that have these qualities. Adding a small engine to one of these is a good choice. Electric power is a good option to consider.

Before RC there was free flight. Models were designed to fly entirely on extreme inherent stability. The overall flight path was shaped by the aircraft’s state of “trim” set by the operator prior to launch. When RC first came along, free flight modelers thought of this as a way to change the state of trim during flight. It started with very small rudder command that allowed just gradual alteration of aircraft heading. Next came throttle control. This allowed altitude control. Power level dictates gradual climb, level flight, or glide. The hobby has all but forgotten that rudder and throttle only is fine way to control a model. And that a skilled pilot could make these planes do all sorts of normal and aerobatic maneuvers.
(A little side bar here for any instructors. Take any modern trainer, make sure it is sufficiently nose heavy for good pitch stability, pull the elevator trim all the way back, and learn to fly it with the left stick only. Then teach your students the same)

The next step in RC evolution was to include pitch (elevator) control. Adding elevator control is a dramatic step. Elevator control allows the pilot to alter the natural “trim” speed of the airplane. The dynamics of flight is now much more complicated than with just rudder and elevator. The performance “envelope” is greatly widened. Somewhere around this time proportional control RC equipment came along. Then aileron control became practical too. Standard 4 axis proportional control was known as “full house” and was a very big deal. Today it is taken for granted. The average modeler today doesn’t understand trim and stability like they used too.

Basically, following a path similar to the above is a great method for self teaching. You want something very slow that really will fly itself just like the old free flight planes did. First you learn enough about trim and balance to “free flight” it. Then think in terms of experimenting with changing trim during flight via your RC equipment. The learning will just snowball from there.

Hopefully this is enough to at least get you asking the right questions. And please feel free to inquire further here in RCU. I always enjoy hearing about people who have made this hobby work in far away places.

Multiflyer