Ten items build and fly a first RC airplane — here's exactly what you need, nothing extra: a transmitter and receiver, a 2212-class motor, 30A ESC, props, a 3S 1300–1500mAh battery, 9g servos, a balance charger, foam board, and a hot glue gun. All-in it's about $140–170 the first time, and everything except the foam moves to every plane you build after. The exact picks I use are below, with why each one made the list.
| # | Part | What to get |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Transmitter | FlySky FS-i6X — 10 channels, model memory, cheap enough to start and good enough to keep |
| 2 | Receiver | FlySky FS-iA6B — 6 channels, pairs with the i6X, covers every beginner plane |
| 3 | Motor | 2212-class ~1400–1500Kv brushless — the do-everything park-flyer motor |
| 4 | ESC | 30A brushless with BEC — covers the motor with margin and powers the receiver |
| 5 | Propellers | 8×4 / 9×6 multipack — you will break props; buy several |
| 6 | Battery | 3S 1300–1500mAh LiPo — the workhorse size for 30–48″ foam planes |
| 7 | Servos | 9g servos, 5-pack — two fly the plane, three are spares |
| 8 | Charger | B6-class balance charger (AC) — the one item you must not skip or substitute |
| 9 | Foam board | 20×30″ Readi-Board, ~$1.50/sheet — grab 4–5 sheets for the plane plus repairs |
| 10 | Hot glue gun | Cordless — builds the plane on the bench and glues a wing back on at the field |
The real math on a first build: ~$5 of foam board for the airframe (two sheets for the plane, a couple spare), ~$80 of electronics — motor, ESC, props, battery, and servos — and ~$85 one-time for the transmitter and charger. Call it $140–170 all-in. Here's the part that matters: crash it, and your second airplane costs about $5, because every electronic part unplugs and moves into the new foam. The radio and charger you buy once and use for years. Compare that to a ready-made plane where the whole price re-crashes every time.
Someone trims the budget by charging their LiPo on a generic multi-chemistry wall charger, or worse, a USB brick. A LiPo has to be balance-charged — the charger watches each cell individually and stops any one of them from being pushed past its limit. Skip that and you get a puffed pack if you're lucky and a fire if you're not. The B6-class charger on this list is around $30, handles 1–6S packs, and will still be charging your batteries five planes from now. Charge on a non-flammable surface and never leave a charging LiPo unattended — Battery & LiPo Basics covers the full routine.
These exact parts fly my 30-inch first trainer — the build guide takes this list from boxes on the bench to a plane in the air, wiring and radio setup included. What each part actually does is explained in plain English in RC Electronics Explained, and if you want the reasoning behind every pick — plus the pushrods, connectors, and extra tools of the full kit — the Complete Beginner Kit is the deep dive this list is the short version of.
Parts ordered? See exactly how all ten connect — in the right order, without frying anything.
