Don’t worry, airplanes only have a few parts, and they’re all user-replaceable. The parts are:

• Battery. Connects to the ESC and supplies the power for the motor, receiver, and servos. The bigger the battery, the faster the motor spins (if your ESC and motor can handle the power).

• Electronic Speed Control (ESC). Think of this as the power distribution center. It connects to the battery, the receiver, and the motor. Based on signals from the receiver, the ESC sends more or less power to the motor. The ESC sends power to the receiver, which the receiver uses to power the servos, using a built-in battery eliminator circuit (BEC). ESC’s have some intelligence, and won’t spin the motor when you first turn the transmitter on even if the throttle is turned up (to prevent you from hurting yourself). They also monitor the power coming from the battery, and cut the motor off before the battery runs completely out so that the battery will have enough power left to move the servos, allowing you to control your plane while you glide it in for a landing. You need a different ESC for brushed or brushless motors.

• Motor. Connects to the ESC and the propeller. Spins faster when the ESC gives more power. Electric motors can be brushed or brushless. Brushed motors typically have a gear that spins the propeller faster than the motor. Brushless motors, which last longer than brushed motors, usually connect directly to the propeller without a gear (they can spin much faster). The picture below shows a brushless motor.

• Propeller. Connects to the motor and spins, pushing wind behind it. The bigger the diameter, the more air the prop pushes with each spin. The deeper the pitch, the faster the prop pushes the wind. The picture above shows the propeller conneced with a prop saver, which lets the propeller bend instead of breaking when you crash the plane into something.
• Receiver. The radio that receives signals from your transmitter. Connects to the ESC and the servos, and sends them signals indicating how far the corresponding stick on the transmitter is being pushed. The receiver has a long wire hanging out of it–that’s the antenna, which receives the radio waves from the transmitter. The receiver has to be the same frequency as the transmitter. You control the frequency using a crystal, which can typically be swapped out.

• Servos. Turn a few degrees to move the control surfaces (the rudder, elevator, and ailerons) on the airplane. Connects to the receiver and the control horns. The first picture below shows two servos connected to a Slo-V fuselage–notice that the control wires (which connect to the control horns) are attached to the servos using “Z-bends”. The arm on top of the servo twists around the screw. Servos typically include several control arms in different shapes. The second picture shows a servo disconnected from an airplane. Beginner planes typically have two servos, while more advanced planes can have five or more servos.

• Control horns. Small pieces of plastic that connect to the control surfaces and, using a stiff control wire, the servos. The control horns connect to the control surfaces, which are the movable parts of the airplane’s wings and tails (the rudder, elevator, and/or ailerons) that control the direction of the airplane by pushing wind in different directions.

This diagram shows how the electrical components are connected:

And here’s a picture of a Slo-V (it’s like a Slow Stick with a V-shaped tail) with the wing off to show all of the parts. Click the thumbnail to view the full-sized picture.

Looking at the above graph, you can only conclude one thing: wind is evil. For a beginner, the wind should be below 3 MPH. It’s 0 MPH at 7am, which is perfect. Unfortunately, it’s also -5 degrees F. Look, I can only bundle up so much. At 20 degrees F, I don’t mind hanging out outside, but -5F is RIDICULOUS. The wind speed also falls below 3PM later in the day, but only after the sun has set. In summary, I won’t be flying today, and wind is a jerk.

As you get better, you can take on more and more wind. Experienced people with advanced planes are comfortable flying in 10-15MPH winds, and some people even try flying in 20MPH winds. Beginner airplanes really aren’t setup to battle the wind, though. While you’re starting, you’ll have to plan all your outings around those wind charts. That means you can’t plan more than a couple of days in advance, and you might not be able to fly for weeks at a time.

Note that wind is a little worse in the Winter than it is in the summer. To find the average wind speeds in your area, look at this chart. Here’s what it looks like for my area:

 JAN    FEB    MAR    APR    MAY    JUN    JUL    AUG    SEP    OCT    NOV    DEC
11.9   11.6   11.4   11.0   10.0    8.9    8.4    8.3    8.6    9.4   10.2   10.9

As you can see, it’s about 3 MPH slower in the summer than in the Winter, and 3 MPH is a pretty huge difference.

Instead of using the site that shows the graphs, you can go to weather.com and visit the hour-by-hour forecast for your location. For me, that site is more accurate, though it’s not as easy to view the wind speed over time.

You can’t rely entirely on websites to determine whether it’s safe to fly, though. They’re not always accurate, and wind speed can change quickly. When you get to the flying site, look at the treetops. If they’re moving at all from the wind, it’s too windy for a beginner. Sure, you can , but the wind is going to control your plane, not you. Better to go home disappointed then to leave your plane 50 feet up in a tree (or completely out of site).

Another good rule-of-thumb regarding wind: if you have a hard time carrying your plane because the wind is blowing it, you shouldn’t fly. Of course, that only measures wind speed on the ground, which is often blocked by trees. Once you get above the trees, it can be much windier.

A few days ago, I got up early on a calm day and immediately flew my Slo-V above the trees to a save altitude. Once the wind hit it, the plane immediately turned away from the wind and started to fly away from me. I turned the throttle all the way up and turned it into the wind, but it just wasn’t fast enough–the plane literally flew backwards. I had to immediately land or risk completely losing my plane (my flying field is surrounded by trees, so I don’t have much room for error).

One way to get out of the wind is to fly indoors. People often fly planes like the Slo-V or the slow stick in large gyms. Helicopters can also be flown indoors (carefully). If you don’t happen to have a gym with high ceilings, consider joining the Academy of Model Aeronautics (AMA). There’s probably a group in your area that organizes indoor flying.