Kanter Enterprises
9412 Redwater Drive
916-612-2292

ABC

Aluminum/Brass/Chrome. The components used in the production of non-ringed engines. These engines use an aluminum piston, and a chrome or nickel plated brass sleeve. The engine is harder to turn over and start due to the tight fit between the piston and cylinder. This tight fit is what makes the engine more efficient, and powerful. ABC engines must be run in for best performance.

ABL

Advanced Bimetallic Liner. Specialized form of ABN. Instead of a single-step, single-material plating, the ABL Plating process is based on a layered approach made possible by two OS-developed hard-nickel alloys. The first alloy is used as the bottom (bonding) layer, to fuse the top layer to the brass liner. The second alloy, developed for superior hardness, forms the top layer. Together, they create a barrier that protects the liner against excessive heat and wear.

ABN

Aluminum/Brass/Nickel. The components used in the production of non-ringed engines. These engines use an aluminum piston, and a nickel plated brass sleeve. The engine is harder to turn over and start due to the tight fit between the piston and cylinder. This tight fit is what makes the engine more efficient, and powerful. ABN engines must be run in for best performance.

Adverse yaw

Adverse yaw is a secondary effect of the application of the ailerons in aircraft.

It's cause and effect can be explained as follows: When the right aileron is deflected upwards, and the center aileron is deflected downwards the aircraft is moved to the right.

As a result the lift of the right wing is decreased and that of the center increased producing a roll to the right.

The deflection also causes increased drag of both ailerons, more so on the center side.

The effect of this is to yaw the aircraft to the center, in the wrong direction for the turn, (away from the lowered wing).

It is this effect which is known as Adverse yaw, and the force which causes it is known as Aileron drag.

Aerobatics

The act of performing 'acrobatic' or 'stunt' manuevers in the air such as loops, rolls, etc.

Aerodynamics

Is a branch of dynamics concerned with studying the motion of air, particularly when it interacts with a moving object.

Aft

Towards the rear. Used such as: "...with an aft center of gravity....".

After Run Oil

A lubricant designed to displace unburned fuel in the engine after running. The fuel can accelerate corrosion on some engine parts. By using an after run oil, the fuel is displaced, and a protective coating lines sensitive engine parts. This is an inexpensive engine insurance, and promotes long engine life. There are several good after run oils on the market.

Aileron

Are the control surfaces that are hinged to the trailing edge (or back) of the main wing; often near the tips. They are used to bank the aircraft. There are two and they work in opposite directions (when one goes up, the other goes down.) One aileron raising forces air to push that side of the wing down, causing the model to roll in that direction. So, to roll right the right aileron raises. They control the airplane around the "Roll" axis.

On the transmitter:

The right stick and is moved to the left to roll the plane to the left and moved right to roll the plane to the right.

Aircraft

A device that is used for flight in the air.

Airfoil

Airfoil The shape of the wing when looking at its profile. Usually a raindrop type shape.

Airplane

An engine-driven, fixed-wing aircraft heavier than air that is supported in flight by the dynamic reaction of air against its wings.

Amphibian

An aircraft that can fly off of water or land. The wheels retract into the hull or floats, depending upon the type of aircraft. An amphibian can land on water and then extend the landing gear to allow it to pull up onto the shore. Many seaplane bases had ramps to allow the airplanes to pull up onto dry land parking areas.

AOA (angle of attack)

Angle of Attack The amount of pitch at which an airfoil is flying. By adjusting the angle of attack, the efficiency of the wing/blade is effected. More precisely, the angle between the chord of an airfoil and the wind.

Area

The number of square inches (or feet) of the wing. It's the wingp multiplied by the wing's chord. The area of a tapered wing is the wingp multiplied by the average chord.

ARF

Almost Ready to Fly. A kit which is mostly pre-assembled, usually requiring installation of few parts, engine, and radio gear. Almost Ready to Fly name compares to a kit, which is a package of parts which require assembly.

Aspect Ratio

The wingp divided by the chord. Aspect ratio is important where a wing's efficiency is concerned. A short aspect ratio (short wings) is better for maneuvering, since it allows a high roll rate. Short wings are also stronger than long wings. Gliders use high-aspect ratio wings (long, skinny wings) because they are more efficient for soaring flight. Example: 10 ft. wingp with a 1 ft. chord has an aspect ratio of 10

ATV

Adjustable Travel Volume. Used on many radio transmitters to limit, or extend, maximum throw of a servo. ATV can indicate having a single adjustment which affects both ends of the servo (known as AST) or one adjustment for each end of the servo throw (known as EPA).

Auxiliary channel

Axis

The line around which a body rotates.

Ball Link

Connection using a ball, and a link which rotates on the ball. Used to connect the servo to a control surface or lever.

Backlash

The mount of play between gears, or gear mesh. If too loose, the gear can slip, or strip the teeth. Too tight, and excessive wear is caused.

Barn Door Ailerons

Larger, built up ailerons rather than an aileron from a simple strip of solid wood like some kits have.

Base leg

Base Load Antenna

A rigid, short antenna mounted to the model. Used to replace the longer receiver antenna.

Battery

Eliminator

Circuit

(BEC)

Definition: A circuit that allows one battery pack to supply both the motor and the radio control system.

Found in most modern Electronic Speed Controllers (ESC)

BEC supplies enough current for the number of servos being operated.

Check the it's manual for the Max. current rating to ensure the BEC can handle your application.

Binding

What occurs when the friction at a joint is stronger than the linkage.

Blade Balancer

Usually called a 'prop balancer' for aircraft. Used to ensure that the propeller and spinner are equally balanced side-to-side to avoid vibration problems.

Blade Strike

A propeller blade hitting another object. Although this can seem like a minor impact, the blades should be carefully and thoroughly inspected, as structural integrity is often compromised, producing an unsafe condition. If any question remains, do not fly until the blades are replaced.

Brake, Motor

Definition: Stopping the prop when the throttle is cut.

Hard braking is used for folding propellers.

Soft braking is used for slowing the prop to a stop without stressing the prop/hub.

No braking allows the prop to windmill, this creates drag that can be used to slow the A/C.)

Boring holes in the sky

Having fun flying an R/C airplane, without any pre-determined flight pattern.

Buddy Box

Training method utilizing two transmitter control boxes, linked together. The trainer radio has override control, which the instructor uses to take control when the trainee looses control, or becomes disoriented.

Bulkhead

CA Glue

Cyano-Acrylate glue. This adhesive is a relatively fast-cure type, available in various thicknesses and cure times. (Similar to "Super Glue".) There are many types used in model building. Refer to owners manual of kit to determine if used.

Camber

If you draw a line through the center of the airfoil that's exactly half-way between the top and bottom surface, you get the mean airfoil line. Depending upon the airfoil, it can be straight or curved. This curve is called the "camber" of the airfoil. If it has a lot of curve, the airfoil is said to be "highly-cambered".

"Can" Motor

Are motors that are non-servicable and thrown into the garbage "can" when used up.

A name often used when discussing "FERRITE MOTORS"

Canard

The horizontal surface forward of the wing used to control pitch. It's found on very few aircraft. Also the word used to describe aircraft that have a main wing and a horizontal control surface in the nose...also called, "tail first" aircraft.

Capacity

Canard

Carburetor

The part of the engine which controls the speed or power produced by the engine.

Throttle settings and lean/rich mixture via setting of the needle valve.

Center of gravity (CG)

CG Center of Gravity.

A measurement used when balancing blades, as well as the model overall.

Describes a central point in a given body, where all weight is considered to be concentrated.

A central balance point.

Center of Pressure

An imaginary point on the chord of an airfoil where the total of all aerodynamic forces are assumed to act.

Centrifugal Force

The force created by a body's tendency to to follow a straight path working against a force which causes it to move in a curve, the resultant force which pulls away from a central axis of rotation.

Chandelle

A very steep climbing turn where the airplane makes a 180° change of direction.

Channel

The frequency number used by the transmitter to send signals to the receiver. If radios transmit on the same frequency, or channel, glitching will occur in the active receiver on that channel. This is due to conflicting signals sent by the two radios. Flying sites should have a frequency control system to ensure that only one radio operates on any given channel at one time. This is usually a board with some type of marker for each channel. If the marker is not available, someone else is using that channel. Do not use your radio unless you are sure you are the only one on the frequency.

Channel

The number of functions your radio can control. Ex: an 8 channel radio has 8 available servo slots used for separate control surfaces or switches. These channels can also be mixed on many radios, for such functions as collective, which increases pitch when throttle is increased.

Charge Jack

The plug receptacle of the switch harness into which the charger is plugged to charge the airborne battery. An expanded scale voltmeter (ESV) can also be plugged into it to check battery voltage between flights. It is advisable to mount the charge jack in an accessible area of the fuselage so an ESV can be used without removing the wing.

Charger

Charger Device used to recharge batteries and usually supplied with the radio if NiCad batteries are included.

Chicken Stick

A hand-held stick used to flip start a model airplane engine.

Climb out

Clunk

Term used to describe the weighted end of the fuel pickup line in the fuel tank. The purpose of this is to ensure that the fuel pickup is always in the fuel supply, even when inverted

Clutch

The section of the drive train used to engage the gear when throttle is increased, and disengage while engine is at idle. This ensures that the rotor blades can remain at rest while the engine is idling.

Cobalt Motor

Commutator

Is a rotating split-ring device used to sequentially energize electrical coils within a motor. 

Coning

This effect is the bending of the rotor or propeller blades when stressed.

Constant Cord Wing

The chord remains the same throughout the wing p.======= Chord The "depth" of the wing, its distance from leading edge to trailing edge. One of the components used to determine wing area. May vary from root to tip.

Control Linkage

Control surface

Control Surface

Any one of the various moveable portions of the wings, tail surfaces, or canard.

Controls, Transmitter

Throttle: Used to control the amount of power being delivered by the power system.

Rudder: Used to turn the plane both on the ground and in the air.

Elevator: Used to make plane climb, descend, and loop.

Ailerons: Used to make Plane roll left and right.

Conventional Gear

Conventional Gear

The landing gear arrangement where the airplane has a main gear and a tailwheel.

Cowl

Cowl

The large molded fairing around an engine. It serves two purposes when done right: It helps the airflow go smoothly around the front of the airplane, and also provides a proper path for cooling air around the engine.

Crab

Crosswind

Crosswind leg

Current Limiting

This is used to prevent a device from pulling to much current and overheating.

Cut-off,

Low-Voltage

A function of the ESC.

It stops providing power to the motor when the battery voltage gets to low.

Hard cutoff is immediate removal of the power and Soft Cutoff is slowly removing of the power.

This must be set correctly when using Li-Po batteries to prevent cell damage and/or reduced life.

Dialed In

Slang term for the condition in which the model is set up to fly smoothly and predictably. This is the state where the mechanics and electronics work together to produce the best performance.

Dual Rates

Radio function used to adjust control sensitivity.

Dead-stick landing

Dead Stick

Slang term for a landing without engine power. An example: "I ran out of fuel at 50 feet and had to dead stick".

Dihedral

The V-shaped bend in the wing. Typically, more dihedral causes more aerodynamic stability in an airplane, and causes the rudder to control both the roll and yaw axis. This is why some trainers and sailplanes require only 3 channels of radio control—i.e., having no ailerons.

Ding

Minor dent or damage to the structure. Also, a nick in a prop. Dinged props must be replaced.

Depron

Depron is a close cell foam with a smooth surface on each side.

Dorsal Fin

An extension of the vertical fin forward of the main part of the fin, and against the fuselage. On the top, or "dorsal" side of the aircraft.

Doublers

Down thrust

Downward angle of the engine relative to the centerline of the airplane. Down thrust helps overcome the normal climbing tendency caused by the torque of the engine. Please refer to this FAQ for further information.

Drag

Drag

The air resistance to forward motion. Drag can be increased with the use of certain types of devices installed on the aircraft, such as spoilers, airbrakes, or flaps. Old-style aircraft with lots of supporting wires had very large amounts of drag, while modern aircraft such as military jets, have very low drag.

EDF

Electric ducted fan. A battery-powered, fan (rather than exterior propeller) driven model.

Electric Starter

A hand-held electric motor used for starting a model airplane engine. Usually powered by a 12-volt battery.

Elevator

Uses to make Plane:

Climb

Descend.

Loop.

On the transmitter it is the right stick and is moved to the back to climb and moved forward to decent.//////////////////// Elevator Pitch control. Causes the model to raise or lower its nose, resulting in a climbing or diving response. Moving the elevator down causes the tail to rise, pushing the nose down and causing the model to dive. Moving the elevator up causes the tail to drop, raising the nose in reference to the tail (as if you were sitting in the aircraft).

Engine

The methanol or gasoline fueled power plant used in a model. Two or four-stroke gasoline and glow engines are very popular in aircraft. Four-stroke engines tend to turn higher diameter lower pitch props, and therefore tend to be used in applications requiring more torque and less speed response.

Energy Density

Epoxy

A two-part resin/hardener glue that is extremely strong. It is generally available in 6 and 30-minute formulas. Used for critical points in the aircraft where high strength is necessary.

ESC

Expanded Scale Voltmeter (ESV)

Device used to read the battery voltage of the on- board battery pack or transmitter battery pack.

Exponential

This radio function allows the modeler to adjust the sensitivity of the control towards the center. This will make the small stick motions very precise, while longer stick movement moves the servo arm at a proportional rate.

Failsafe

A PCM function which moves servos to a pre programmed position if transmitter signal is lost or corrupted.

Fairing

A shaped area used to smooth out, streamline, or "fair", the joint between two members of an airplane. A wing fairing joins the wing and fuselage. A landing gear fairing streamlines the landing gear struts, and wheel fairings (wheel "pants") streamline the bulky shape of the wheels.

Field charger v

fast battery charger designed to work from a 12-volt power source, such as a car battery.

"Figure 9"

Can be an "official" competition maneuver, or a badly-done loop. When the model flies over the top of a loop and picks up too much speed, the momentum prevents it from maintaining a loop's round shape.

Ferrite Motor

Fin, Vertical Fin

The fixed portion of the vertical tail surface.

Final approach

Flaps

Hinged control surface located at the trailing edge of the wing inboard of the ailerons. The flaps are lowered to produce more aerodynamic lift from the wing, allowing a slower takeoff and landing speed. Flaps are often found on scale models, but usually not on basic trainers.

Flare

Flare

The point during the landing approach in which the pilot gives an increased amount of up elevator to smooth the touchdown of the airplane.

Flight Box

A special box used to hold and transport all equipment used at the flying field.

Flight Pack or Airborne pack

All of the radio equipment installed in the airplane, i.e., Receiver, Servos, Battery, Switch harness.

Floats

Long, canoe-shaped structures that allow an airplane to land on water. They are not a part of the aircraft structure, but suspended below the fuselage on struts. Also called "Pontoons".

Flutter

A phenomenon whereby the elevator or aileron control surface begins to oscillate violently in flight. This can sometimes cause the surface to break away from the aircraft and cause a crash. There are many reasons for this, but the most common are excessive hinge gap or excessive "slop" in the pushrod connections and control horns. If you ever hear a low-pitched buzzing sound, reduce throttle and land immediately.

Flying Boat

The type of aircraft where the fuselage has the lower portion shaped like a power boat. The plane lands on water directly onto the fuselage. There may be small floats suspended from the wings to keep the plane level when it's in the water.

FM

Frequency Modulation. This describes the mode of transmission of radio signal from transmitter to receiver.

Folder

Fore, Forward

Towards the front. Used such as: "...the forward edge of the rib...", or as in: "...with fore and aft movement...."

Frequency Control

The FCC has allowed the 72MHz (72.010 - 72.990) band to be used for R/C aircraft operations. This band is divided up into many different channels in which you can choose a radio system. You should be aware that certain areas have frequencies in which there is pager interference. This is why it is always a wise move to check with your local hobby shop to find out any channels that may be troublesome in the area you wish to fly. The FCC has allowed band 75MHz (75.410 through 75.990) for ground model use only (robots, battlebots, cars, boats), 50MHz (50.800 - 50.980) is allocated only to Amateur HAM license holders for R/C use (and only at 1W maximum power output.)

Fuel

The methanol/nitromethane/lubricant mix used to fuel model engines. A helicopter fuel mix has a higher concentration of lubricant to counter the lack of sufficient airflow over the engine in a hover.

Fuselage

The fuselage includes the cabin and/or cockpit, which contains seats for the occupants and the controls for the airplane.

In addition, the fuselage may also provide room for cargo and attachment points for the other major airplane components.

Some aircraft utilize an open truss structure, monocoque, or semi monocoque construction./////////////////

Fuse Fuselage, main body
Fuselage The body of an airplane.

Fuselage, Monocoque

A Monocoque fuselage is a shell-like fuselage design in which the stressed outer skin is used to support the majority of imposed stresses.

Monocoque fuselage design may include bulkheads but not stringers.

Fuselage, Semi-Monocoque

A Semi-Monocoque fuselage design that includes a substructure of bulkheads and/or formers, along with stringers, to support flight loads and stresses imposed on the fuselage.

Fuselage, Truss-Type

A Truss fuselage design made up of supporting structural members that resist deformation by applied loads.

Gain

Gyro sensitivity. When too low, the tail will not hold position well. When too high, the surface being dampened by the gyro will tend to wag, or hunt for center.

Gasser

Slang for a model using a gasoline engine as a power plant.

Glitch

Momentary radio problem that never happens unless you are over trees or a swamp.

Glow Fuel

A Methanol based fuel, with a lubricating agent, used in most model engines. Most model fuels also use a percentage of nitromethane.

Glow Heater

This is used to heat the element in a glow plug, and is used when starting the model engine. AKA Ni-Starter.

Glow Plug

This is the plug that is used to help ignite the fuel in a model engine. The combustion of the fuel in the engine keeps the element hot between cycles, thus the glow plug does not need to be regulated or powered while the engine is running.

Ground Effect

The cushion of air that the model rides on when close to the ground. This will decrease the amount of elevator needed to maintain a constant altitude when near the ground/landing.

Gyro

A mechanical or electronic device which helps to stabilize the orientation of the model by sensing rotation, and moving the appropriate servo to compensate. This device can be used on any axis, but is most frequently used on rudder and elevator, typically used to aid in 3D and precision flying.

Header Tank

This is a small fuel tank used in line between the main tank and the carburetor. The purpose of the header tank is to ensure that the fuel fed to the carb is free of bubbles, which can be caused by foaming, or by the clunk falling away from fuel during complex maneuvers.

Heading Hold

Heading Hold

This describes a type of Gyro which senses rotation, and maintains direction. This is accomplished by sensing the rate of motion, and the time of motion, then compensating for the distance. While this sounds complicated, the effect is that if you have the model dialed in, and point the nose north, with a heading hold gyro on the yaw axis the model will continue to face north until you command it to yaw. See also Heading Lock. This is not recommended for aircraft use while in flight due to the requirement to use YAW (rudder) command to turn the model. Often used for ground use only for perfect take off and landing runs.

Heading Lock

Slang term for Heading Hold Gyro.

Hit (or to be hit)

Sudden radio interference which causes your model to fly in an erratic manner. Most often caused by someone turning on a radio that is on your frequency, but can be caused by other radio sources miles away.

Horizontal Stabilizer

The horizontal tail surface at the back of the fuselage which provides aerodynamic pitch stability to the airplane.

Hot Start

An engine which has been running will tend to remain hot for a short time. During this period, it is possible to restart the engine by turning the crankshaft without the glow plug being plugged in to a glow starter. This is something to be aware of, as it could possibly create an unsafe condition.

Hover

The art of flying without moving. This can also be an illusion, depending on windspeed. For airplanes, this is a 3D manuever also known as a 'hanger'. The aircraft is pointing straight upward, hanging solely on the thrust from the propeller. The model may be drifting horizontally with the wind but should not climb or dive.

Hydraulic Lock

Hydraulic lock happens when the engine becomes flooded with fuel, to the point where the piston cannot compress it in the combustion chamber. This can result in engine damage if the crankshaft is forced through a rotation without relieving the pressure. To cure, remove the glow plug, and pour out the excess fuel.

Immelmann

A maneuver originally used to reverse direction in combat. The airplane noses up and over onto its back. It then rolls upright and continues in the direction opposite to the original direction. It was invented by the World War I German pilot Max Immelmann, whose airplane could perform the maneuver, and other's couldn't. It got him out of a lot of trouble in combat until the Allied aircraft designs caught-up and allowed their planes to perform the maneuver, too.

Incidence

The angle of one portion of a model when compared to another portion of the model. For example, if the stabilizer is perfectly parallel to the ground and the leading edge of the wing points up 2 degrees when compared to the stabilizer, the wing has a 2 degree positive incidence when compared to the stabilizer. Up or down thrust angle are also called engine incidence. Having these 3 measurements in proper relation to one another affects how well the model flies, particularly on vertical lines. An improper engine-to-wing incidence often results in a model which cannot be trimmed on pitch because at higher throttle the engine is pulling the model upward and at lower throttle it is pulling the model downward, or vice versa.

Incidence Meter

Used to measure the angle of attack of an airfoil, can be used to measure blade pitch, or paddle pitch.

Intake

An air inlet on an aircraft. You can have a carburetor intake, cooling intake, air conditioning intake (on full-size aircraft), and so on. Named because it "takes in" air, and because "intake" is a better-sounding word than "takesin".

Inverted

Flying upside down. Note that elevator and rudder seem to work backward from the ground, as elevator, aileron and rudder inputs are all based upon the model's orientation (as if you were sitting inside).

Kit

A Kit describes an unassembled model, arrives as packages of parts which must be assembled, as opposed to an ARF, or Almost Ready to Fly, which is mostly pre assembled.

LE

Leading edge (front)

Landing Gear

The assemblies that include the wheels and the wheel struts. The word "gear" is used in the sense of "equipment", as opposed to the "toothed wheel" meaning of "gear". The British call the landing gear the "undercarriage".

Landing Skid

The rail type landing gear used on some models which have no wheels.

Leading Edge (LE)

The very front edge of the wing or stabilizer. This is the edge that hits the air first.

Lean

Refers to carburetor setting. When an engine is run too lean it will overheat, causing damage, and likely an in flight engine failure. Tuning a carburetor is best accomplished by starting rich, and working gradually to the condition which produces maximum power, while allowing a small amount of unburned fuel mixture to lubricate and cool the engine.

Lean Run

This happens when an engine develops a lean condition. Possible causes are improper tuning, improper fuel choice, fuel foaming due to excessive vibration, or a leak developing in the fuel delivery system. The air in the fuel line will cause the engine to run lean.

Loading

The load placed on the airfoil of a flying machine. In the case of an aircraft, this would be wing loading. Typically found by dividing the weight of the model by the total area of the main wing(s). Note that wing loading is only a good comparison between models of the same size. Larger models appear to have a far higher wing loading while displaying similar flight characteristics.

Loop

A vertical circle in the air. The plane noses up, keeps rotating until it's on its back, and then comes down and around to describe a vertical circle in the air.

Lubricant

The agent used to aid in the reduction of friction between two parts. This term is used for many substances, which in turn are used in many different ways. They are all, however, used to reach the same objective, that being the reduction of wear between parts. In the case of engine fuel, the lubricant is added to the fuel at the factory in many cases. This might be castor, a synthetic, or a blend. The percentage of lubricant required in the fuel will depend on the type of fuel, the engine, and the model requirement.

Magnets

Can be effected by impact, heat, and centrifugal force.

Impact and centrifugal force can break the magnets free and hinders the rotation or shift and cause an out of balance condition.

Heat will reduce the magnetic strength of the magnet and reduce the total output of the motor.

What is a Magnet?
A magnet is an object made of certain materials which create a magnetic field. Every magnet has at least one north pole and one south pole.  By convention, we say that the magnetic field lines leave the North end of a magnet and enter the South end of a magnet. This is an example of a magnetic dipole ("di" means two, thus two poles). If you take a bar magnet and break it into two pieces, each piece will again have a North pole and a South pole. If you take one of those pieces and break it into two, each of the smaller pieces will have a North pole and a South pole. No matter how small the pieces of the magnet become, each piece will have a North pole and a South pole. It has not been shown to be possible to end up with a single North pole or a single South pole which is a monopole ("mono" means one or single, thus one pole).

Main Gear

Also Main Landing Gear. The large, heavy-duty landing gear struts and wheels that support most of the weight of the airplane. They are usually under the wing or under the fuselage near the center of the aircraft. Any other landing gear struts and wheels are noticeably smaller.

Midrange

The power band of an engine between idle and full throttle.

Mixing

Radios with mixing will take two or more controls and mix their output in relation to stick input. The number of channels that can be mixed, and the precision of the mixing curve, or number of curve points, will depend on the transmitter used.

Mixing Arm

A specialized lever which has three or more pivots. The length between pivots will determine the proportion of the mix between two or more linkages.

Mixture

Fuel to air mixture is determined by the needle valve on the engine carburetor.

Motor

Any electric motor used in the model. Examples are the servo motors, which move the servo arms, and thus the control surfaces. There are also kits which use electric motors in place of the engine for quieter, cleaner flight.

MPH

Speed in Miles Per Hour. Like RPM, MPH is both singular and plural. You can go 1 MPH or 100 MPH. You don't go 100 MPH's.

Needle Valve

This is used to tune the fuel to air mixture on the engine carburetor. On most engines, the needle is turned clockwise to lean the mixture, and counterclockwise to richen.

NiCad (or NiCd)

Nickel Cadmium battery. Rechargeable batteries which are typically used as power for radio transmitters and receivers.

Nitro

Abbreviation for nitromethane. The addition of nitromethane in fuel provides more power, and a smoother idle, thus making the engine easier to tune. The nitro also makes an engine require more careful tuning, therefore, the amount of nitro added to a fuel results in a tradeoff. Common nitro mixes vary from 0% to 30% and beyond.

Nitromethane

The addition of nitromethane in fuel provides more power, and a smoother idle, thus making the engine easier to tune. The nitro also makes an engine require more careful tuning, however, to avoid overheating. Common nitro mixes range from 0% (FAI fuel) to 30%.

Nose

The front portion of a model's fuselage.

Nose Gear

The strut and wheel that's under the nose of some aircraft.

Opto-Coupling

Indicates that the electrical current for the power system is isolated. This is used to make motor-induced radio interference less likely.

Outrunner Motors

The term outrunner refers to a type of (brushless) motor that rotates it's outer shell (rotor) around its stationary inner core (stator).

Outrunners (typically) spin much slower than their inrunner counterparts with their more traditional layout (though still considerably faster than ferrite motors) while producing far more torque.

This makes an outrunner an excellent choice for directly driving electric aircraft propellers since they eliminate the extra weight and complexity of a gearbox.

Some of these motors are mounted using a faceplate that mounts the motor to the fuselage and the propeller is bolted to the motor's rotating shell.

Park Flyer

Park Flyers weigh two pounds or less and are incapable of reaching speeds greater than 60 mph.

They must be electric or rubber powered, or of any similar quiet means of propulsion.

Models should be remotely controlled or flown with a control line, remain within the pilot’s line of sight at all times, and always be flown safely by the operator. (As defined by AMA)

A Park Flyer site

A Park Flyer site can be either an outdoor or an indoor venue.

Peak

This is the point at which a battery will no longer accept a charge, and converts the energy to heat. This is damaging to the battery pack, and potentially hazardous.

Peak Charger

This type of charger will eliminate the guesswork. When the battery has reached peak, the charger reverts to a maintenance charge rate, which will not damage the pack.

PCM

Pulse Code Modulation. A modified FM signal used in high end radios. The signal is coded by the transmitter, resulting in a cleaner signal.

Pitch

Describes the fore and aft attitude of the model. (Nose high or low in comparison to the ground.) Controlled by the elevator(s).

Pitch Axis

The airplane axis controlled by the elevator. Pitch is illustrated by holding the airplane at each wingtip. Raising or lowering the nose is the pitch movement. This is how the climb or dive is controlled.

Pitch, Helicopter

Pitch is used to:

Tilt the main rotor forward and backward.

On most US transmitters it is the right stick and is moved forward to tilt the main rotor forward and moved back to tilt the main rotor backward.

Ply

Plywood

Pontoons

See Floats.

PPM

Pulse Position Modulation. Another term for FM.

Power Panel

12-volt distribution panel that provides correct voltage for accessories like glow-plug clips, fuel pumps and electric starters. Usually mounted on a field box and connected to a 12-volt battery.

Prop Balancer

Device designed to aid in the balancing of model airplane propellers.

Propeller Markings

Are two numbers use to describe a propeller. The first number is the propeller's diameter (tip to tip length.)

The second number is the pitch (the theoretical distance the propeller moves forward in one revolution.)

A 10x7 propeller has a length of 10 inches and travels 7 inches forward in one revolution.

Pull-Pull

A linkage set up using two rods or wires. One is pulled for one direction, the other is pulled for the other.

Push-Pull

A linkage set up using two rods. One rod pushes, while the other pulls.

ECS

A lo-rate speed control switches at the same frequency as the servo signal. Roughly 50 times per second.

Receiver (Rx)

The radio unit in the airplane which receives the transmitter signal and