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PARK FLYERS

What is a Park Flyer?

Park Flyers is a term used to cover a broad range of small, radio controlled airplanes that range from the "Toy" category all the way up to some very expensive and sophisticated models. The thing they have in common is that they are small enough to fly in a parking lot, school yard or your local public park.

These airplanes are electric powered usually with Nickel Metal Hydride (NiMH) or Lithium Polymer (LiPo) batteries and are generally considered safe enough to fly in public, although there is still an element of damage to people or property involved, so discretion should be used at all times.

Let's take a look at a few basic setups:

Toys: To begin with, we have the "Toy" category. These are very simple airplanes that can be purchased for a minimal price (around $25 - $30) and also have minimal control - usually just throttle and rudder. They come with everything you need (except for maybe a few "AA" batteries) including the transmitter. They are a lot of fun, and can be flown indoors as well as outside, but only on dead-calm days. (For more info - Click Here)

Micro Planes: The next step up is considerably more sophisticated electronic-wise, but still very limited to wind conditions. Some of these planes can be flown indoors, but often would require a large room or better yet, a gymnasium or other large, indoor arena. Again, outdoor flying would be limited to very calm days. Now the controls are bumped up to 3 channels, throttle, rudder and elevator. These planes run a little over $100, come complete with everything you need and minimal assembly is usually required. (For more info - Click Here)

Entry Level: If you want to eventually move up to bigger and better things, this is the place where most people start. Some of today's entry-level planes have some astounding features like LiPo batteries and 2.4GHz radios (more on that in the "Radios" section). These are still often in the 3-channel range, and prices will now get up to $150 - $200, but you're getting a lot of bang for the buck. (For more info - Click Here)

Advanced Level: Once you have passed the learning stage there are some very advanced Park Fliers available and while some of them can become a bit pricey, for the most part their prices are reasonable and you can often move your existing motors, or radios into them to help keep costs down. A Google search for "Park Flyers" will bring up tons of info on them.


What are the Pros and Cons?

One of the nicest things about Park Flyers is that they often come as a complete package which includes everything you need at a modest price. It is by far the easiest and least expensive way to get started. Another advantage, as I mentioned earlier is that they can often be flown in public areas as opposed to finding a local club, paying dues, joining the AMA, etc.

On the down side, the radios that come with most Park Flyers have limited range and will not be suitable for more advanced planes. Plus, many Park Flyers are only available as a complete package, so even if you have a motor, battery and radio from another plane, you may have to purchase them again with the next plane. So if your goal is to fly bigger and better things, you might want to consider starting with better equipment that will grow with you.



What would be the next step up?

If you like the size and convenience of small electric planes, but want to step up to something more versatile, you can look into our next chapter: RC Electrics

And as always, if you have any questions that we have not answered here, please stop by the RCUniverse Park Flyer's forum.




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