Stevens Aeromodel
Learn It! Build It! Fly It!
A Builder’s Roadmap
Whether you’re holding a hobby knife for the first time or you’ve been building since the balsa era, this is your resource library — build skills, power system know-how, model aviation history, and the complete balsabuilder Magazine archive. Colorado-made kits deserve Colorado-quality knowledge.
Learn It! Start Here
New to laser-cut balsa kits? These guides answer the first questions every builder asks — what to buy, what the lines mean, and what to expect from your first build.
Stevens Aeromodel vs balsabuilder — What’s the Difference?
Two laser-cut balsa lines, one Colorado workshop. If you’re not sure which line fits your build goals, start here — we break down plans, parts, skill level, and what each line is really designed for.
Choosing Your First Laser-Cut Balsa Kit
Wingspan, channel count, wing area, skill level — decoded for first-time builders. Learn what “ultra-micro” really means and which kit size matches your flying space.
Coming soon
Build It! Become a Better Builder
Practical knowledge for balsa builders — from power system selection to finishing techniques. These articles are drawn from years of building experience in the Stevens Aeromodel workshop.
Selecting the Right Power System for Your Electric RC Airplane
Motor Kv, prop diameter, cell count — the essential matchmaking guide. Stop guessing and start flying with a system tuned to your airframe.
Propeller Matching for Electric RC Airplanes — The Black Art Explained
Diameter, pitch, prop load factor, tip speed limits, and the wattmeter method — a systematic approach to getting the prop right. Part 2 of the power system series.
Applying Vinyl Graphics to Your RC Airplane
Get clean, bubble-free results every time — techniques that work on balsa, film-covered surfaces, and painted airframes alike.
Why Geared Motors Gave Way to Brushless Outrunners
A short history of electric RC propulsion — from Speed 280s and planetary gearboxes to the brushless revolution that made modern park flyers possible.
Coming soon
Ready for Takeoff: The RC Builder’s Preflight & Maiden Flight Guide
A complete preflight inspection checklist and maiden flight procedure for balsa RC builders — structural checks, radio setup, power system verification, and a trimming sequence that actually works.
Mastering Model Airplane Balance: CG Setup and Flight Testing
How to find, set, and fine-tune your model’s center of gravity — from the static bench check through the dive recovery test and inverted flight test, with a guide to separating real CG problems from mechanical causes.
The Tool Box
A growing collection of online calculators that pair with the article library. Where the articles explain the framework, the tools do the math.
Fly It! Become a Better Pilot
Ready to leave the ground? This series covers the skills that make you a confident, capable pilot — from your first taxi roll to precision traffic patterns and beyond.
Installment 1 · Flight Guide Series
Flying Your First RC Airplane — A Three-Channel Flight Guide
Taxi, takeoff, climbing, turning, stall recognition and recovery, traffic patterns, and the flare. Everything you need for your first flights — and a few things the manual left out.
Installment 2 · Flight Guide Series
Flying with Ailerons — Moving to Four-Channel RC Flight
Coordinated turns, aileron rolls, knife-edge passes, and banked approaches. The guide for pilots making the move from three-channel to full control.
Installment 3 · Flight Guide Series
An Introduction to Pattern Aerobatics — Eight Maneuvers Worth Learning
Loops, rolls, Cuban eights, Immelmann turns, and four more — the foundational maneuvers of pattern aerobatics, with entry points and technique notes for each.
Installment 4 · Flight Guide Series
An Introduction to 3D Aerobatics — Five Maneuvers Beyond the Stall
Harriers, walls, parachutes, hovers, and blenders — post-stall flight explained with aircraft requirements, progression steps, and safety notes.
