About 6 months ago, I got back into the R/C flying after being away from it for about 20 years. I was amazed by the way ARF models(particularly glow) have improved over the years, such that they are now more popular than kit built planes, at least in my club. I was even more impressed by RTF trainers like the Superstar and Avistar ( I have one of each) and I'm wondering how long it will be before companies like Hobbico and Hangar 9 begin offering RTF glow sport models for intermediate and advanced flyers.

It is said that the main advantages of moving up to an ARF sport model as a second plane are that the modeler saves money by moving the engine and radio from his trainer to the new ship, and also saves time by having a model that is already largely put together. In my experience, however, many fliers upgrade their engine and radio equipment at this point anyway, for improved performance. It's hard to imagine putting the OS .40 LA from my Avistar into a Futana or Sig Somethin' Extra, for example. Also, most ARF planes still require a good 10-20 hours of drilling, sanding, gluing and cussing in order to get them airworthy.

How cool would it be if we could get that Futana complete from the manufacturer with an OS .46 AX and a good 6 channel radio installed? The extra cost of the RTF over the ARF would be justified, I think, by the time and effort saved in final assembly.

There will always be modelers who love to build, and good kits for them to put together, but for those of us (like me) who don't have the time or workspace to put together an ARF, an RTF sport model with a good glow engine would be an ideal product. I'd love to know how other modelers feel about this, and whether anyone knows of such a product that is currently available. If not, hopefully it will only be a matter of time. I'm posting this in both the Beginner and ARF/RTF forums, so hopefully many contributors will respond.

I don't think it would be the best idea in the world. Mostly due to people that have had flying experience usually want to pick their own gear to put in their plane. With computer radio's people just want to buy flights packs and save the extra $. And with a advanced aircraft that comes RTF would cause a higer chance of a new flyer of buying it and planting it in the ground for his first plane. The ARF's dont take long to build. 3-5 nights.

The only thing good about RTF is that if it was not made I would not be flying today, and I might add that the trainer I bought, I did not crash it yet through any of my falt
The clivis pin on the elevator broke off for what ever reason and the Hobbico replaced it at no charge. That was last year late in the summer, I have now two other planes one Kit and one ARF. We need more RC pilots in this hobby to bring the price down on some of those Kits RTF ARF. Most club suffers for the lack of new members. So these RTF ARF should help. I too like the Kits. MOP

roltech

I think the most important part of the question is not kit, ARF or RTF. The greatest change for the mainstream in this hobby is going to be mode of propulsion!

Electric power, in my opinion, will overtake glow in the next five years. If the advances in battery technology and motors we have seen in the past couple of years continue and prices continue to drop there will be little reason to consider glow power for anything other than special applications. In five to ten years your sport 46 glow engine may be a dinosaur.

Having said this, I am just starting with medium power electrics and am dealing with battery weight (NiMH rather than LiPo), charging considerations and a relatively high initial cost. Performance costs money and I am probably going to have to settle for less than ideal power at this stage. The battery cost is probably similar to the cost of the fuel it replaces but there is significant up-front investment. I am looking forward to MUCH less noise and not having to clean the slime from my airplane at the end of the day. Also just starting the learning process and will, no doubt, continue to fly glow for some time to come.

No matter if you build (kit), assemble (ARF), or fly out of the box (RTF) this is a great hobby with more than enough variety to keep anyone interested for a long time.

Ross

I dont thank the glow engine will ever be outdated. People want to hear and smell the sound of an engine. With electrics you just dont get the same experience than a hot glow engine screaming through the air. I thank RTF trainers will still be popular over the years but other sport models will still be arfs so you can have a choice of engine and radio.

I also tend to agree that electric power will come to dominate RC flying. Toshiba has developed a LiPo pack that can be recharged to 80% of it's capacity in 1 minute. Don't get me wrong, I love the smell of glow exhaust, but I do believe electric is the future.

IMO as long as there are Scale Flyers there will always be noisy gas engines. Electric is gaining popularity because the technology is getting better, but as long as full size aircraft make noise, I believe that the majority of the R/C ones will to. With this said though there are alot of flyers who could care less about scale flight, and will drop in their Plane whatever is the most convienent for them, and whatever can supply the best power to make their Plane hover. I love the noisy little 2 and 4 stroke engines, but I also have some electrics and am glad to see the tech getting better all the time.

Ross is right. I'm pretty new to this sport, and I can see that electric will eventually be the way to go for everything, as will ARF and RTF planes. That said, the glow planes and kits/scratchbuilds won't disappear. I ride a motorcycle, but I can ride a horse, too. The true craftsmanship involved in a kit plane appeals to a lot of people, and it is something I intend to tackle myself one day. But, for now, ARF and RTF planes are the way to go, especially for beginner/intermediate flyers.

Just my 2 cents.


Ray out

I can't see RTF planes becomming the norm. At least not in Aus. The RTF planes I have seen come in BIG boxes. That means very high shipping cost for us. Having the plane ARF reduced the size of the box quite a bit and they still only take a few days to put together.
I too think electric will take over but I think it will take longer than most people think. Remember in the 40's people thought that by 2000 we would all be driving flying cars.
I would estimate 10, maybe 15years before electric starts pushing glo for popularity. Electric still has a long way to go in the battery and overall cost department. Yes they are developing quick but these things still take time.

I've been around long enough to observe that people who only want to fly a RTF plane don't stick with the hobby very long on average - tho there are exceptions.

Let's face it - to get the most out of the hobby flying you HAVE to do some maintenance/building/assembling etc.. on your plane. There are people who only want to fly and that's all - I'm cool with that.

RTF airplanes to me would only appeal to those just getting started out. Past that almost everyone has an opion/way of doing things to their plane. What's the point of getting a RTF if your only gonna turn around and change 1/2 the stuff on it anyway? Order an ARF and check to see that the plane is structurally sound and then finish it the way you want or customize it etc...

I think your right? I started with a RTF then ARF, now a "full kit" and enjoy building it can't wait to start on the next one. This was my ever first kit building. But for me if it weren't for RTF, I might of never started this type of hobby.

roltech