Electric Remote Control Planes

High quality remote control planes can provide an incredible experience for enthusiasts and beginners alike. A truly well-crafted RC plane with a long battery life, aerodynamic engineering, and top of the line durability can provide hours, if not years of entertainment.


The problem comes when remote control planes don't live up to the promises provided by their packaging or retailer. RC airplanes can be overpriced, fragile, flimsy, underpowered, or only have enough battery life to last a few short minutes. Some brands of RC aircraft are even shipped without all the parts needed to the purchaser to assemble and fly them.


This list only includes the highest quality, fairly priced, remote control aircraft from reputable manufacturers according to reviews from the enthusiasts and hobbyists who bought them. Electric remote control planes come in a wide variety of prices, capabilities, and required levels of expertise, so choose the model that's right for you!

This lightweight, durable, Ready-To-Fly (RTF) model is a excellent plane for beginners. The powerful motor provides plenty of get-up-and-go for Apprentice's 2.8 lb foam body, and the 3200mAh battery lasts for up to a very satisfying 30 min of flight time. The foam body is durable and easy to repair (here’s a pro tip for the beginners out there: packing tape and foam glue go a long way, and lining the more likely to impact in a crash areas of your plane with packing tape will enhance their ability to survive crashes). The Apprentice provides four channels of control (rudder, elevation, throttle, and ailerons), which makes it an excellent RC plane for beginners with ambitions towards aerial stunts and for intermediate pilots.

The other great remote control plane model for beginners on this list is a good buy, at $69.99 new, for beginners who aren't looking to break the bank on their first or second RC plane. This plane is a 3 channel model, lacking ailerons. The fuselage is again made of durable and easily repaired foam. The anti-crash technology integrated in all Super Cub models in combination with the included flight lesson and assembly instructions DVD seals the deal for beginning RC pilots looking for a great value.

You'll need to order your own battery/charger and remote/receiver for this plane. However, it is an extremely durable and well designed 3 channel aircraft. The needed additional parts can allow for a little customization. It is an extremely efficient plane and a couple of quality batteries can allow for over 60 minutes of flight time even in adverse weather conditions. Parkzone Radian PNP electric remote control planes are famous for their flight stability and gliding capabilities. While the three channel control may not be great for stunt flying, the Radian is adept at high speed and long distance flight. The need for knowledgeably selected additional parts makes this a plane that could be a little out of the realm of beginning fliers, but its high quality, reasonable price, and customization potential promise that this aircraft would make a great contribution to any hobbyist’s fleet of electric remote control airplanes.

This quadricopter is even impressive enough to even make the RC Airplane list. It can be controlled by using your Android device, iPad, iPhone, or iPod touch. It takes 720p video streamed directly to your device for convenient online sharing from the flight control module. It has the option of either an indoor or outdoor hull designed for agility or durability, respectively. Both the indoor and outdoor hulls come complete with ultra-durable carbon fiber tubes. It also comes stock with 4 brushless motors with self-lubricating bearings, steel proper shafts, and the motor controller is fully reprogrammable as well as water resistant. This craft would make a unique, state of the art addition to any RC flight enthusiasts fleet.

This electric remote control plane is for the serious enthusiast. It comes with a 2.4GHz radio with a 5.GHz video receiver and 3.5" color LCD built right into the remote. It boasts recording capabilities at 720p (the same as the Parrot Quadricopter), a 4 GB SD, and an auto-pilot function. All this is on top of a solidly built foam fuselage, 7.4 V 450 MAH LI rechargeable battery, and a 6 foot wingspan. The airplane also comes with a 3-axis stabilization system. Take a look at videos that happy pilots have uploaded to YouTube to get and idea of the Hubsan SpyHawk’s capabilities. The $328 price tag may seem a little bit high, but you would be hard put to find better technology in a package at that price range.