The difference between traditional remote control aircraft, model aircraft and drones

Traditional remote control planes generally refer to toy remote control planes, as opposed to remote control cars, remote control boats, and usually remote control toys. In the past, it was usually a simple coaxial helicopter, and now it is also added with a four-axis hollow cup toy drone.

Model aircraft generally refers to an aviation model, which is a relatively professional remote control aircraft with similar characteristics to manned aircraft. Some models are even scaled down versions of manned aircraft. The shape of the model aircraft is different from the remote control toys, and the structure is different from that of the manned aircraft. Therefore, relatively speaking, model aircraft is more advanced than remote control aircraft, but in a broad sense, model aircraft is also a kind of remote control aircraft. Today's model aircraft usually refers to professional fixed-wing model aircraft and helicopter model aircraft. Model aircraft are generally equipped with high-rate power batteries and powerful brushless motors, and some even use kerosene engines, ducted and turbojet engines.

Drones generally refer to unmanned aircraft, or unmanned aircraft. The biggest difference between drones and model aircraft is the flight control, or the onboard computer. The model aircraft is still at the level of "remote control". The operator needs to be equipped with a high-quality remote control for real-time control. Every action, servo and motor of the model aircraft is operated by the remote controller in real time.

And drones, thanks to the maturity and commercialization of control programs and control circuits in recent years, have enabled drones to be equipped with flight control systems, which makes the aircraft have a certain intelligence. When the remote controller does not control the aircraft, the aircraft can be To hover in place, what the controller needs to do is to let the plane fly how high, how fast, and where it flies, instead of controlling the speed of the motor, the inclination of the plane, and the rudder surface of the plane to control the plane. .

UAVs can have certain intelligent flight functions, such as automatic return, automatic landing, target following, target surround, path planning, etc., which are not possible for model aircraft. For example, a model aircraft is a remote-controlled "robot arm", while a drone is a "programmable, action-engineered" robotic arm.

At present, the mainstream drones are multi-rotor aerial photography machines, agricultural plant protection machines, and industrial machines. There are also a small number of fixed-wing, helicopter UAVs, and even tilt-rotor aircraft, and of course military UAVs, mostly fixed-wing. The mainstream of model aircraft is fixed wing, and helicopter. The operational requirements of model aircraft are very high. The main difference from drones is the lack of flight control, which is the onboard computer. Some model aircraft will also be equipped with flight control, but still give a lot of control authority to the driver. This operation and driving is the fun of playing model aircraft. Most model aircraft have no practical value in work, mainly entertainment value.

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