Flying of model airplanes is fun and an engaging hobby for anyone involved in it. It's a hobby, both for a son or father to respond and have fun pursuing it together. But, you might wonder, what's the difference between toy planes that kids receive on their birthday and the ones flown by enthusiasts as a hobby? The difference lies in their components and how they are assembled, as it is explained below.

There are basically two categories of model planes'static and flying planes. The static models, as the name suggest, are non-flying. While deciding, which model to buy, one should know, which one to settle for, rather than make a mix up of choice, in the bargain. Nevertheless, it's good to note that even the static models can be overhauled, and equipped with necessary parts, to make it a flying plane. This can be fun, especially if you love to assemble and be a sort of mechanic.

The flying type model planes can further be divided into three types. The first one is free flight, the second is control line flying and the last a remote controlled model. The free flight model is designed to fly without aids like cables or remote control. The control line flying model has a cable or two, which are attached on the wings and the cables are held by the pilot. This is also a free flying plane, but the pilot controls the flight movements, to fly or not. The remote controlled types have a radio device that sends signals to the receiver, built in the plane. This type is more fun, since the pilot gets to control it fully.

The free flight models mostly use elastic motor to propel them. The motor is usually an elastic band, which is tightly wound before starting and on release of this elastic wound band, it propels the airplane to motion. This is the commonly used type of engine, not only for the professional models, but even for toy airplanes. It is cheaper, long lasting and easy to maintain. Another type of engine is the gas engine. This type uses the combustion engine technique. Compressed carbon dioxide gas is let to come out from the back of the plane to propel it. These engines can be further modified to include pistons.

Glow engine is another type of engine, used by many hobbyists. These employ same internal combustion method as in a normal car. Only the engine is a very small version of the real one. The engine uses a mixture of methanol and nitro methane, which are slow burning gases and some kind of oil lubricant.

But, if you are a beginner, the best model to opt for is the plane with electric engine. These engines use battery power and the speed of the plane is regulated by the electric motor. Some other planes are controlled by a remote radio device and are fun to fly. All these model airplanes make way for a charming hobby. The above explains enough to have a thrill ride in model airplanes and paves way to demonstrate your hobby!