Best Airplanes

RC planes are extremely fun to fly, and they’re not nearly as expensive as they used to be. Now, there are varying price points for new hobbyists to get involved with flying cool remote control planes. And what’s more, there are high-end ultra cool RC planes for RC enthusiasts that bring a little extra oomph.

But with all of the different plane companies like Horizon Hobby, Top Race, E-Flite and more, plus all of the different RC airplanes they each carry, picking the right one can quickly become overwhelming, it’s much like picking the best RC cars or the best camera drones — choosing the best takes a little research. But don’t worry, your favorite RC enthusiast (oh hey, that’s me!) has you covered.

Here are the top 3 best RC planes to fly:

1. HobbyZone Sport Cub S RTF

For a basic starter RC airplane, you won’t beat Horizon Hobby’s HobbyZone Sport Cub S RTF (ready to fly). It comes with everything you need to get started — the plane, the battery, and the controller — and it’s easy to fly. You don’t have to worry about crashing your plane because of its safe technology, which adds a panic button that will return your plane to steady flight. It has 3 modes for flying, including beginner, intermediate and experienced, each of which have their own limitations to help different levels of pilots. It has a short flight time of about 8 minutes, but you can get a 4 pack of batteries for around $20 that will certainly come in handy. Still, it’s the best starter RC plane on the market that will allow you to learn the basics of remote control flight without the worry of breaking it.

Price: $132.59 (17 percent off MSRP)

Pros

• 3 Different Modes (For Every Pilot)
• Price
• Panic Button

Cons

2. HobbyZone Delta Ray RTF

Another great starter RC plane is HobbyZone’s Delta Ray with SAFE technology. Like the Sports Cub S, the Delta Ray will help you train and hone your flight skills. But where the Delta Ray stands out is in its physical design — it looks like a cool, unique plane. In fact, it’s what we were imagining as kids when we’d fold-up our paper into planes. It gets up to 10 minutes on one battery. It also has the panic button that self-corrects any flight errors. In fact, it has one of the quickest recovery switches we’ve seen (as they’ll demonstrate in the video above). Also worth noting about the Delta Ray is that it has a place for you to hold it with your hands on its bottom so that it’s comfortable and ready for a hand-launch. It’s also very lightweight, thanks to its heavy-duty foam construction. It is controlled by a DX4 controller that will feel like home to any gamer.

Price: $179.99 (22 percent off MSRP)

• 3 Different Modes
• Cooler look
• Up to 10 minutes of flight time

3. Flyzone Tidewater EP Seaplane

What’s great about the Flyzone Tidewater EP is that it’s able to take off from bodies of water and land in water. It adds a new dynamic into the mix, so not only are you able to do more without the fear of your expensive new toy crashing into the ground, but you’re also able to use it on land if you wanted to. The Flyzone Tidewater EP Seaplane is very responsive and feels like it was optimized for flight. It’s one of the most ideal RC planes over water, and not only is a great first plane, but also a fun RC airplane to fly for advanced pilots.

Price: $174.32 (13 percent)