INTRODUCTION

Planes fly by the virtue of Bernoulli principle on their wings. Air being pushed under the wings only
accounts

for

small

portion

of

the

lift

forces

that

make

an

airplane

fly.

To get the Bernoulli effect, the wings must expose a larger surfaces on top than below the wing.
Second we need to maintain a flow of air over and under the wings. This is the job of the actuator,
which pulls the plane & its wings forward using a propeller.
The remote control, or RC, transmitter sends signals to a receiver on the airplane. Each transmitter
has its own signal so that the signals from the planes don't interfere with each other. The receiver is
attached to several control motors called servos, and a battery pack to provide power. The receiver
sends signals to the servos based on the position of the transmitter stick. These signal tell to each
servos precisely to which position move to.
A cross section of a typical airplane wing will show the top surface to be more curved than the
bottom surface. This shaped profile is called an 'airfoil' (or 'aerofoil') and the shape exists because it's
long been proven (since the dawn of flight) that an airfoil generates significantly more lift than
opposing drag i.e. its very efficient at generating lift.During flight air naturally flows over and
beneath the wing and is deflected upwards over the top surface and downwards beneath the lower
surface. Any difference in deflection causes a difference in air pressure.
Airplane control surfaces RC planes have several controls, each with a different surface. The
rudder steers the plane, the ailerons cause it to bank left and right, the flaps increase and decrease lift,
the elevators angle the nose up and down, and the motor controls the power. Each part is attached to
the servo by a small control arm which moves the control as the servo turns.
To understand how each works upon the airplane, imagine 3 lines (axis- the blue dash line in picture)
running through the plane. One runs through the centre of the fuselage from nose to tail
(longitudinal axis), one runs from side to side (lateral axis) and the other runs vertically (vertical
axis). All 3 axis pass through the Centre of Gravity (CG), the airplane's crucial point

THEORY
The letters rc stand for radio control. We will often see rc airplanes referred to as remote control but
technically this is an incorrect term. Radio control is the correct term because the airplane controls
respond to radio signals that pass through the air from the transmitter (abbreviated to 'Tx') to the
receiver (abbreviated to 'Rx'). The transmitter (also often just called the radio) is the main box that
you hold in your hands and use to control your airplane, the receiver is located inside the airplane
and receives the radio signals sent out from the transmitter. The signals are sent to the model in the
same fundamental way as television and radio broadcasts are sent. Signals are generated whenever
you move a stick or flick a switch on the Tx, and they are emitted via the antenna, or aerial.
All radio signals operate on a frequency commonly measured in kilohertz (kHz), megahertz (MHz)
or gigahertz (GHz). The Tx and Rx must be operating on the same frequency for them to work
together and the gadget that determines which frequency channel the radio system uses is called a
crystal. Both the Tx and rx need a matching crystal to function. However, crystals are only necessary
in traditional MHz radio systems. Traditionally radio control systems operate on designated
frequency channels in the MHz ranges but more recently a newer radio technology, called spread
spectrum, has come in to existence and has become commonplace throughout the hobby. These
newer rc systems use the 2.4GHz frequency band and are far less susceptible to unwanted radio
interference. It's a much better and more advanced technology and 2.4GHz radios are quickly
replacing the MHz ones for radio control use both in the air and on the ground.
2.4GHz systems don't require crystals to operate because the technology and method of operation is
different to the MHz systems. Our transmitter works on the frequency of 2.43 GHz .
Regardless of the rc system being used, once the radio signals are picked up by the receiver, via the
receiver antenna, they are passed on to the servos (and ESC - Electronic Speed Controller - in
electric powered models) inside the model and converted into physical movement.
Servos are connected directly to the control surfaces of the airplane by linkages, so any movement of
the servo is passed directly to the control surface that it is connected to.
The end result is that when you make an input at the transmitter, something on the airplane moves to
control the plane.

Fig.2 Basic Structure RC Plane

Aeronautics Definition
Aeronautics is the study of the science of flight. Aeronautics is the method of designing an airplane
or other flying machine. There are four basic areas that aeronautical engineers must understand in
order to be able to design planes. To design a plane, engineers must understand all of these elements.
RC Airplane
RC planes are small model radio-controlled airplanes that fly using electric motor, gas powered IC
engines or small model jet engines. The RC Airplanes are flown remotely with the help of a
transmitter with joysticks that can be used to fly the aircraft and perform different maneuvers. The
transmitter comes also with a receiver which is installed inside the Model RC Airplanes which
receives the commands send by the transmitter and controls servos. The servos are small motors
which are mechanically linked to the control surfaces e.g., ailerons for roll control,elevator for pitch
control and rudder for yaw control. The servos moves the control rods (which are small rods that
connect the servo to different flight control e.g. to elevator etc) which in turn moves the control
surface be it elevator, flaps, aileron or rudder. An RC Airplane can be controlled in flight by using the
transmitter from where you can control pitch, yaw and roll of RC Airplane and you can also control
the throttle settings. The receiver which accepts the transmitter signal and the servos attached to it are
run on rechargeable batteries. Most popular rechargeable batteries for RC Airplanes use include Ni-

Cad (Nickel Cadmium) and Li-Po (Lithium Polymer). Lithium Polymer lasts longer and more
powerful than there Ni-Cad counterparts but a bit more expensive.
RC Airplanes Propulsion/ Power plants
RC Airplanes fly using either electric motor as propulsion device or IC (internal combustion) gas
powered engines or small model jet Engines.

RC Electric Motors
Electric motors are most used in many model RC Airplanes because of the ease in use. Electric
Motors give the advantage of low-cost, easy to use. The throttle of electric motors is controlled using
a speed controller which comes with the motor. The speed controller lead is connected to the
receiver. The transmitter than can control the throttle of electric motor just as other controls.
Parts of RC Airplane
The parts of the RC Airplane include,
Fuselage
Fuselage is the main structural element of the RC Airplane or the body of the RC Airplane. The
Wing, Horizontal and Vertical Tail are connected to the fuselage. The Engine is also mounted to the
fuselage. The fuselage is made up of bulk-heads. The bulk-heads are structural members which give
strength and rigidity to the fuselage, support load and weight of the RC Airplane. The Engine bulkhead is made relatively stronger as compared to other bulk-heads of RC Airplane fuselage because it
carriers the load of the engine as well as encounters vibrations during engine operation so it must be
strong to resist all the loads. The nose gear and main landing gear are also connected to the fuselage.
The fuselage also houses all the electronic components necessary for RC Airplane flight including
ESC (electronic speed controller) in case of electric RC Airplane, Receiver, Servos, Batteries and
fuel tank in case of gas powered RC Airplane. External or internal payloads are also carried inside
the fuselage. The fuselage can be used to connect an external camera for example or to carry some
payload inside the RC Airplane.

Wings
Wings are the main lifting body of the RC Airplane providing the lift necessary for RC Airplane
flight. The wing provides lift because of its aerodynamic shape which creates a pressure differential
causing lift. If a cross-section of the wing is cut, a shape or profile is visible which is called an
airfoil. Airfoil shape is the key to the wings ability to provide lift and is airfoil selection and design is
an important criterion in the design of RC Airplanes. The front most edge of the wing is known as
leading edge and the aft most edge of the wing is known as the trailing edge.
There are typically three kinds of airfoils which are used on RC Airplanes namely, symmetrical
airfoils, semi-symmetrical airfoils and heavily cambered airfoils. On the wing are mounted the flaps
and ailerons.
Actuator
Actuator or Engine for RC Plane is the main power-plant of RC Airplane. The power-plant of RC
Airplanes can be electric motor, internal combustion gas engines and jet engines. The engine is
mounted on the RC Airplanes and provides thrust to the RC Airplanes. Thrust is the forward force
necessary for flight. The actuator run a propeller.
Propeller
The propeller is basically a wing section made of airfoil sections just like a wing but it is twisted
along the span. The propeller is mounted to the engine in propeller driven RC airplanes. Jet engine
RC Airplanes dont have a propeller and generates thrust by means of the jet engine.

Horizontal Tail
The horizontal tail or the horizontal stabilizer provides pitch control to the RC Airplane. Elevator is
mounted on the horizontal stabilizer or horizontal tail of RC Airplanes. Normally, the Horizontal tail
is set at a -1 degree angle of attack (AOA) relative to the wing.
Empennage
Horizontal and Vertical tail are collectively known as the empennage of RC Airplanes
Vertical Tail
The Vertical tail or the vertical stabilizer provides the yaw control to the RC Airplanes. Rudder is
mounted to the vertical tail or vertical stabilizer of the RC Airplanes.
Spinner
A spinner is used to house the central hub of the propeller and makes the RC Airplane more
aerodynamically efficient.
Ailerons
Ailerons are roll-control control surfaces of the RC Airplanes. Ailerons provide roll by moving in
opposite direction to each other. When one aileron moves down the other moves up thus providing
more lift on one side as oppose to the other causing the RC Airplane to roll. Ailerons are at the
trailing edge of RC Airplane wing and towards the wing tips.
Flaps
Flaps provide additional lift to the RC Airplane by increasing the maximum lift coefficient of RC
Airplanes. The flaps can be used to increase the lift during landing and take-off to better take
advantage of the ground effect. The flaps move simultaneously. When both flaps move down it is
known as flaps-down and increases lift of the wing. When flaps move up it is known as flapsup.
Sometimes, flaps are designed so that they only move down or come to the neutral position and not
move up.

Elevators
Elevators are the pitch-control control surfaces of the RC Airplanes. Elevators provide pitch control
by moving either up or down simultaneously causing the airplane to pitch about the center of gravity
of RC Airplane. When elevator is moved up the nose of the airplane rises and is known as pitch up.
When the elevator is moved down the nose of the RC Airplane moves down and is known as pitch
down.
Rudder
Rudder is the yaw-control control surface of the RC Airplanes. Rudder provides yaw control by
moving to either side be it left or right. The rudder yaws the RC Airplane about the center of gravity
cg of RC Airplane causing the RC Airplane nose to move right or to move left. A right rudder
maneuver causes the RC Airplane to move to the right. A left rudder maneuver causes the RC
Airplane to the left.
Nose Gear
Nose gear is a member of the landing gear set on a typical conventional RC Airplane configuration.
The nose gear is used to steer the RC Airplane nose to move RC Airplane right or left when on the
ground. The servo which connects the nose gear is also connected to the rudder. So, the direction in
which the rudder moves the nose gear also follows that direction. During takeoff the nose gear is
used to steer the RC Airplane so that RC Airplane is centered to the runway. Without a steerable nose
gear it is not possible to maneuver/ move on the ground without manually moving it. With a steerable
nose gear the RC Airplane can be moved on the ground.
Main Gear or Landing Gear
The main gear or landing gear is the main landing wheels of the RC Airplanes which takes the entire
RC Airplane. Main gear have to be strong and yet flexible enough to provide safe takeoff and landing
to RC Airplane. A rigid inflexible landing gear can damage the RC Airplane structure as the entire
weight / reaction force would be carried by the fuselage. So, in order toavoidthis landing gears are
designed to be strong yet flexible enough so they bend slightly during landing or takeoff to disperse
the load and provides safe and smooth landing. Landing gear or Main gears consist of a pair of
wheels which are generally larger in diameter as compared to the nose gear wheel. The landing gear
wheels are not steerable.

BASIC AERODYNAMICS
The understanding of the principles of flights is important in understanding also what happens to the
model during the various stages of its flight. We are unfortunate enough to crash a model through a
flying error it is important to know why it is crashed, so that we can avoid making the same mistake
again. It is not intended to pursue the detailed aerodynamics for design models, etc., but sufficient
flies and what effect controls surfaces have.
Let us first consider how an airplane stays up in the air. Although it seems to be the general view that
the airplane is held in the air by the action of the propeller, it is of course, the wings that create the
lift to suspend the aircraft. Now if we look at the side elevation of the model in figure, we can see
that the wing is set at slight angle, with the leading edge slightly higher than the trailing. When the
model is being propelled forward in straight and level flight in the air, when it reaches the leading
edge of the wing, has to divide, some passing over the top of the wing and some underneath. The air
passing beneath the wing is forced downwards, owing to the angle of incidence and because it is now
in an area of relative pressure, tends to push the wing upwards. Over the top of the wing there is,
because of the angle of incidence and the camber of the upper wing surface, an increase in the speed
of the airflow, causing an area of relatively low pressure, thus sucking the wing upwards. The
combination of the area of high pressure pushing upwards and the low pressure over the wing
sucking it upwards are together known as lift. About twothirds of the wings total lift is created by the
top surface of the wing and one-third from the airflow over the airflow over the lower surface

CONSTRUCTION
The basic understanding of the aerodynamic concepts and the correct scaling down methods can
enable a designer to build a successful RC flight. This construction has an advantage of
understanding the properties of the materials used, mechanisms design, concept creation and grading
the components. The quality of the materials has to be given consideration for long lifeof the flight
and better functionality.
Airframes
To build a successful airframe, one that will allow the radio control equipment to operate the model
accurately, it is important to pay attention to the three As.
Accuracy-Cut all parts as accurately as possible so that they fit without gaps or having to force fit
joints.
Alignment-Square and true construction at all times and correct alignment of wings and tail surfaces
on the completed model.
Avoirdupois-Weight is a key property. Keep the weight as low as possible.
Plan Layout of the model.
The plans are usually laid out using the values from the real models and scaling it down to a higher
scaling factor. This at the end gives us a layout with different dimensions but regulated by a common
factor of orientation. For example, may be the length of the wing may be considered as a common
factor and all other dimensions are given as a multiplier of the length of the wing. This enables easy
construction and improved adaptability to changes.
We choose a Russian Biplane model and an already available scale down model plan is adapted for
guidance and the flight is built over it. The flight plan is shown in the figure. The weight of the flight
is given importance and the whole flight is built using choro sheet, the properties of which are
discussed latter in the report. The main frame is constructed in the balsa wood and then the choro
sheet is used to surface the body and the wings. The high resistivity and toughness of the sheet helps
in withstanding the air forces encountered on the flight course.

Fig 3 : Basic Structure of a RC Plane

The materials are to be cut with precision and the uncut edges, corner chips and sanding problems
are to be eliminated by filing smooth, laser cut and the adhesive bonding. To keep sanding minimum
try to cut all parts as accurate as possible including spars, longerons, wing leading edge sheeting etc.
This will save time of replacing broken parts. It is advised not to cut the plan over as it will lead to
formation of ribbons and hence reducing the aero properties of the structure.

10

HARDWARE USED
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

The main parts consist of:

Battery
Electronic Speed Control (ESC)
Motor
Receiver
Servos (Number depends on the channels)

Battery
The most commonly used and popular batteries for electric aircraft are the LiPo Batteries or
Lithium-Polymer batteries. They are lighter and provide much more capacity and voltage compared
to the Nickel-cadmium (Ni-Cd) and Nickel-metal-hydride (NiMH) batteries. The LiPo batteries
require special chargers and some amount of care to get a long life out of them.

Electronic Speed Control (ESC)

The ESC regulates the speed of the motor. The ESC is plugged into the receivers throttle channel
and connected between the motor and battery pack. The Battery Eliminator Circuit (BEC) is a builtin feature that allows the ESC to power both the motor and the radios receiver with the same battery
pack. When the voltage gets too low, the BEC circuit cuts the motor power and keeps the receiver
operating properly so the pilot can land the plane.

11

Motor
The most popular type of motor being used for model airplanes today is the Brushless Outrunner
Motor. They provide a greater power-to-weight ratio, but cost a little bit more than the traditional
brushed motors. Outrunner motors produce a lower rpm, but produce more torque and can drive their
propellers directly. This eliminates the weight and complexity of a gear box. The size of the motor is
determined by the weight of your model airplane, which determines the size of the propeller. In
essence, you need to choose a motor that will be able to generate the required rpm for the propeller.

Receiver
The receiver is one component which you really cannot choose. It comes along with the radio, and
works only with that particular radio on a certain pre-defined frequency. It is connected directly to
the servos, and has a thin single wire antenna that extends outside the airplane. The receiver gets
signals from the transmitter when you move a stick/control. These signals are then passed through to
the servos, or ESC, which respond appropriately.

12

Servos
The number of servos varies according to the number of channels that the radio has and the model
airplane requires. For example, a 3 channel airplane will have 2 servos, one servo connected to the
rudder, and one connected to the elevator (P.S. The third channel is for the throttle or ESC). A servo
consists of a set of gears that are directly linked to a servo horn or arm, located at the top of the
servo body. The horn/arm connects directly to the control surface (rudder, elevator, etc) of the
airplane via a rigid or flexible rod. When the receiver picks up a signal from the transmitter/radio,
that signal is sent to the appropriate servo which causes the arm to either push or pull the rod, thus
moving the corresponding control surface.

WORKING
13

Planes fly by the virtue of Bernoulli principle on their wings. Air being pushed under the wings only
accounts for a small portion of the lift forces that make an airplane fly. The real forces results from
the

partial

vaccum

created

above

the

wings

(Bernoulli's

principle).

To get the Bernoulli effect, the wings must expose a larger surfaces on top than below the wing.
Second we need to maintain a flow of air over and under the wings. This is the job of the
engine,Which pulls the plane & its wings forward using a propeller.
The remote control, or RC, transmitter sends signals to a receiver on the airplane. Each transmitter
has its own signal so that the signals from the planes don't interfere with each other. The receiver is
attached to several control motors called servos, and a battery pack to provide power. The receiver
sends signals to the servos based on the position of the transmitter stick. These signal tell to each
servos precisely to which position move to.
A cross section of a typical airplane wing will show the top surface to be more curved than the
bottom surface. This shaped profile is called an 'airfoil' (or 'aerofoil') and the shape exists because it's
long been proven (since the dawn of flight) that an airfoil generates significantly more lift than
opposing drag i.e. its very efficient at generating lift. During flight air naturally flows over and
beneath the wing and is deflected upwards over the top surface and downwards beneath the lower
surface. Any difference in deflection causes a difference in air pressure.

USES AND APPLICATIONS

14

Today , rc planes are used in various fields and people have found a large no. of applications
rc planes by just employing one or more attachment to it and use it in other ways . Some of the
applications of rc planes that are common these days are :
1. Agriculture :
As you all know , that for better product quality , agriculture fields are manured with
fertilizers and manures and to spread them owners have to employ workers who can spread
manures to the field .
This employing of workers by the owners can be replaced by rc planes which can be
sent and flied over the field to spread manures. In foreign countries , what they do is , they
employ an attachment to the plane , a mechanical sprayer , and uses it to spread manures in
the field . The plane that we made weighs 1kg and can lift about 2kg more. This feature of
our plane allows us to use it as a manure sprayer in agriculture fields and we are planning
2. Defence :
You might have heard about DRONES , that America is using as a weapon for bombarding in
Pakistan.
Those drones are the modified version of these RC planes . What they did is , they made it
fully automised ,attached a gps system , a HD camera and a bombarding mechanism more .
3. Weddings :
Interestingly , you would be surprised to know that in Mumbai these days, some wedding
planners are using rc planes to spray flowers and perfumes in welcome ceremony of barites
That is a wonderful idea they gave to us and we are thinking for that too .
4. Spying :
RC planes, are technically named as Unmanned AIR vehicles ie UAVs . These UAVs are alos
used by various investigation institutes for spying purposes .
What they do is they made them so smaller in size , reduces their noise and employ a
surveillance camera to it .
5.

Others :

15

As you can see above there can be various uses of rc planes in many fields . We are also
thinking for as many uses it can have and we would soon disclose them all to you .
6. Media :
In media , nowadays , what they do is, they attach a camera to the plane ,connect it GPS and send
it to places where they cannot reach . We can also do this in our plane by simply connecting it to
GPS and camera but for that we estimated about 15 thousand rupees more to use it for the same .

FUTURE PLANES

16

As we mentioned under the Uses and applications heading about the various applications of rc
planes , and our plans, we are planning to buy a camera for survillience puposes ,and a spraying
mechanisms( as we said our plane can bear about 2 kg more on it ) as an attachment to our plane , so
that we can make it productive and useful for commom man too and not for mere fun purposes .
Above that we have also started making a mono copter , which is a new concept
copter that isnt made yet anywhere , we are using a new technique for various motions of the copter
and are employing various attachments to it . We are trying our best to make it more and more useful
to common man so that we can lower their work loads in day to day life.

CONCLUSION
17

In radio control plane transmitter is the main box that you hold in your hands and use to control your
airplane, the receiver is located inside the airplane and receives the radio signals sent out from the
transmitter.The signals are sent to the model in the same fundamental way as television and radio
broadcasts are sent. Signals are generated whenever you move a stick or flick a switch on the Tx, and
they are emitted via the antenna, or aerial.
Our transmitter works on the frequency of 2.43 GHz .These newer rc systems use the 2.4GHz
frequency band and are far less susceptible to unwanted radio interference. It's a much better and
more advanced technology and 2.4GHz radios are quickly replacing the MHz ones for radio control
use both in the air and on the ground.2.4GHz systems don't require crystals to operate because the
technology and method of operation is different to the MHz systems. Regardless of the rc system
being used, once the radio signals are picked up by the receiver, via the receiver antenna, they are
passed on to the servos (and ESC - Electronic Speed Controller - in electric powered models) inside
the model and converted into physical movement. Servos are connected directly to the control
surfaces of the airplane by linkages, so any movement of the servo is passed directly to the control
surface that it is connected The end result is that when you make an input at the transmitter,
something on the airplane moves to control the plane.

REFERENCES

18

[1] Vineet Kumar Vashishtha, Ashok kumar, Rahul makade and ShashiLata, Solar Power the Future
of Aviation Industry,International Journal of Engineering Science and Technology.
[2] Prof.Alpesh Mehta, Shreekant Yadav, Kuldeepsinh Solanki, Chirag Joshi, SOLAR AIRCRAFT:
FUTURE NEED, InternationalJournal of Advanced Engineering Technology T/Vol.III/ Issue
IV/Oct.-Dec., 2012.
[3] A. Noth, R. Siegwart, W. Engel, Version 1.1, December 2007,Design of Solar Powered
Airplanes for Continuous Flight.
[4] Moran Jack (2003), An introduction to theoretical and computational aerodynamics, Dover. P.
7.ISBN 0-486-42879-6.
[5] William H. Phillips, Solar aircraft, U.S. Patent.
[6] Howard J. Fuller, Solar Powered aircraft, U.S.Patent.
[7] Andrew T. Klesh and Pierre T. Kabamba, Solar-Powered Aircraft: Energy-Optimal Path
Planning and Perpetual Endurance,Journal of Guidance, Control, and Dynamics.
[8] Stefan Leutenegger, Mathieu Jabas and Roland Y. Siegwart, Solar Airplane Conceptual Design
and Performance Estimation,JIntell Robot Syst (2011) 61:545561DOI 10.1007/s10846-010-9484x.
[9] Noth, W. Engel and R. Siegwart, Recent Progress on The Martian Solar Airplane Project SkySailor, 9th ESA workshop onAdvance Space Technologies for Robotics and Automation, ASTRA
2006 ESTEC, November 28-30, 2006.
[10] Adam M. Wickenheiser and EphrahimGarcia, Conceptual Design Considerations for
Microwave-and Solar-Powered Fuel-LessAircraft, JOURNAL OF AIRCRAFT Vol. 46, No. 2,
MarchApril
2009.
[11] AndreNoth, Stefan Leutenegger, Walter Engel, and Roland Siegwart, Designing solar airplanes
for continuous flight.
[12] E. N. Jacobs, K. E. Ward, & R. M. Pinkerton, 1933 The characteristic of 78 related airfoils
sections from tests in the variable-densitywind tunnel, NACA Report No. 460.

19

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