Glossary of Modeling Terms

ARF:  Almost Ready to Fly

AILERON: the control surface on the wing that rolls the plane

AIRFOIL: the shape of the wing as seen from the end

ANGLE OF ATTACK: the angle at which the wing meets the air flow

BEVEL: to sand to an angle shape

BURR: the rough edges on a piece of wood or metal after it is cut

CAP STRIP: a thin strip glued to the edges of the ribs to shape the wing

CONTROL HORN: a device attached to each control surface to provide an attachment point for the pushrod

COWL (COWLING): the nose section of the fuselage that encloses the engine

DECALAGE: the difference between the incidence of the wing and stabilizer

DIHEDRAL: the inward angle of the wings, as seen from the front

ELEVATOR: the moveable part of the horizontal tail that controls pitch

EMPENNAGE: the tail of the plane

FIN: the fixed vertical part of the tail

FIREWALL: the hard wooden former at the front of the fuselage, to which the engine is mounted

FORMER: a piece that shapes the fuselage; and to which the sides of the fuselage are attached.

GUSSET: a small triangular piece glued into a corner to strengthen it

INCIDENCE: the angle of the wing or the tail in relation to the thrustline

LAMINATE: to glue two thin sheets of material together to form a thick sheet

LEADING EDGE (L.E.): the edge of the wing that first meets the airflow

LONGERON: a stringer that runs the length of the fuselage

OUTPUT ARM: the piece that attaches to the servo and connects it to the pushrod

PITCH: an up and down movement of the nose of the plane, that is controlled by the elevator

PROTOTYPE: the full-scale airplane from which the model design was taken

PUSHROD: the long, stiff dowel, metal, or plastic piece that connects the servo with the control horn

RTF: Ready to Fly

RIB: the airfoil-shaped piece that connects the leading edge, spars ,and trailing edge of the wing together and holds them in shape

RETRACTS: devices for extending and retracting the wheels on command

ROLL: tilting of the plane as viewed from the front, controlled by the ailerons

RUDDER: the moveable vertical tail of the plane, that controls yaw

SERVO: the part of the airborne radio system that moves the control surfaces

SHEAR WEB: wood sheeting that connects the top and bottom spars to stiffen the wing

SHIM: a thin piece of wood inserted between two other pieces to improve their fit

SPAR: a wooden stick running lengthwise through the wing that serves as its backbone

SPINNER: the rounded cone that fits over the propeller hub

STABILIZER (STAB): the fixed horizontal part of the tail

STALL:  a situation in which the plane is flying too slowly to move sufficient air across the wing to produce lift

STRINGER: a long piece of wood attached to the formers to shape the fuselage

THRUSTLINE: a line drawn from the center of the propeller hub straight through the airplane

TORQUE: a rolling tendency caused by the spinning propeller

TRAILING EDGE (T.E.): the edge of the wing that faces the rear of the plane

TRIM:  small adjustments made to the control surfaces to cause the plane to fly straight and level by itself

WASHIN: a twist in the wing that makes the trailing edge lower than normal

WASHOUT: a twist in the wing that makes the trailing edge higher than normal

WING SADDLE: the shaped part of the fuselage in which the wing rests

WHEEL COLLAR:  a metal ring that holds the wheel on the axle

YAW:  a right-to-left movement of the nose, controlled by the rudder