The refined one-hour design from the 1 Minute / 1 Hour / 1 Day build — not the original free hand-measured trainer — drawn up in CAD and turned into a complete printable plan set. True 1:1 templates, no guessing, no missing steps between the cut lines and the first flight. Would rather not cut it? The same airplane comes as a pre-cut kit.
The same drawing in two printable formats, plus the guide that goes with it. Download all three straight after payment.
1 & 2 · The printable plan sheets — true-1:1 cutting templates drawn from the CAD file, as two separate PDFs: 12 tiled Letter sheets you print at home, with a 2-page printing and trim-lap-tape guide in front of them (14 pages in the file) and a 1″ scale check, plus a single full-size 36×48 sheet for print shops.
3 · The build guide — one PDF, 8 pages:
That fuselage is the one technique worth practising before you cut the real thing: folding foam board into a square tube comes down to four fold lines and a pair of 3/16″ channels, and that guide has a marking calculator for any face size you want.
| Free hand-measured trainer | This CAD plan set — $8 |
|---|---|
| The original beginner build, measured by hand | A different, refined airframe — the one-hour plane |
| Free dimensions + one-page cut guide | True 1:1 templates — tiled for home printers + full-size 36×48 for print shops |
| Built around the original beginner video | From the 1 Minute / 1 Hour / 1 Day build + 8-page build guide |
| Stays free — you never need this plan set to build it | For exact outlines on paper next to the cutting mat |
Plans are optional in general, for that matter — the $1 foam-board plane I built in 30 minutes had none at all, just two folding tricks and a CG checked before launch. A plan set is for when you want the outlines exact instead of improvised.
The one-hour plane in this video is the airframe this plan set was drawn from. The full build is here: I Built RC Planes in 1 Minute, 1 Hour, and 1 Day.
Everything in the plan set is cut from foam board and held together with glue and skewers, so no printer is required. If you already own one — or are working out which 3D printer is worth buying for RC planes — motor mounts, control horns, and wheels are the usual first parts to print for a build like this.
Added to the cart, then paid on a secure Stripe page — card, Cash App Pay, Klarna. On your receipt this is listed as “ER Sparrow Mk II Plans — 30-inch RC trainer”.
You may print the sheets as many times as you like, build as many planes from them as you like (including planes you sell or give away), modify the design for your own builds, and use them in a class or club you run.
Please don’t re-sell, re-upload or redistribute the PDF files themselves, or include them in a kit or course you sell. Send people to this page instead and they can buy their own copy.
Full terms: Plan set license.
Digital product — no refunds once downloaded. If a file will not open, prints at the wrong scale, or the download never appeared, email eric@ericrobbrc.com or use the contact form with your Stripe receipt and I will sort it out, usually the same day.
Would rather not cut it? The pre-cut kit is every part laser-cut from white Adams Readi-Board, the 3D-printed motor mount, the skewers, and these plans as a download — $29.99 plus shipping.
Not sure yet? Build the free hand-measured trainer first — same 30″ class, simpler airframe — or browse all the free foam-board RC airplane plans. This plan set is the refined one-hour design, drawn in CAD with exact 1:1 outlines.
A 13-page instructor guide and 8 pages of student worksheets turn these plans into a six-session design-build-fly project, written for someone who has never flown a radio-controlled airplane. $65, one instructor and one group, unlimited students and terms. Schools can pay by invoice or purchase order. Eric can also come and teach it in person.
The 30-inch slow flyer and the bigger builds are candidates. Tell me which plane you'd buy plans for and it moves up the list.
The small parts I use on the Sparrow and every other build.
Servo Lead Heat-Shrink LabelsAIL, ELE, RUD, THRO and the rest, shrunk onto the lead so the receiver bay reads itself. Four packs.from $19.99See the label kit →
XT60 Battery Status CapsGreen end out: charged and ready. Red end out: flown. Twelve caps, so every pack in the box tells you.$11.99See the caps →
Servo Connector Safety LocksFifty locks that fit around a joined servo connection so an extension out in a wing stays plugged in.$14.99See the locks →
