The Airplane Designer's Desk

Getting Started in CAD - First in a Series of Articles

admin — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 08:17:29 +0000

In the forums and in questions that have been sent directly to me, it seems that there is a growing interest in using CAD for model airplane design. Whether the intent is to make more complex designs possible, or to help visualize the final product, or to develop a kit for CAM production (laser cutting [...]

5 Reasons that You Should Build Your Next Plane and Ditch the ARF

admin — Fri, 20 Jun 2008 07:20:14 +0000

If the time from box to flying field were the only factor in choosing your next plane, then I would admit that ARF airplanes have scratch or kit built planes beat hands down. That’s a no-brainer. But why choose your next plane based solely on that one factor? I have compiled a list of 5 reasons [...]

Going Digital - The Benefits of Digital R/C Servos

admin — Tue, 06 May 2008 06:54:54 +0000

Despite the numerous similarities, digital servos provide many benefits over traditional analog servos. This article will discuss some of the advantages of choosing digital servos for your next R/C project and address the relatively few drawbacks. A future article will describe the technical differences between the two. The primary benefits of a digital [...]

Plywood for R/C Airplanes – What Type Should I Use?

admin — Tue, 25 Mar 2008 06:07:09 +0000

Recent discussions with friends and on message boards regarding the common types of plywood used to build R/C airplanes led me to think that a short treatment of the subject would be helpful. There are three primary types of commercially available plywood common to R/C airplane construction, each with its own benefits and drawbacks. [...]