Buying guides
Price your first RC airplane as a complete flying setup. This worksheet shows what RTF, BNF, and PNP usually leave you to buy, including the transmitter, battery, charger, shipping, and tax.
If the number on the airplane page already feels high, pause before choosing a cheaper label. The useful number is the cost to assemble a complete flying setup: airplane, compatible transmitter, receiver if needed, flight battery, charger, connectors or adapters, shipping, tax, and a small repair or spare-parts cushion. A low airframe price can become the expensive choice when the missing radio and charger are not already on your bench.
The three labels are a starting point, not a promise about every product. Ready-to-Fly (RTF) normally aims to put the radio, receiver, battery, and charger in one package. Bind-N-Fly (BNF) Basic commonly means the receiver or flight controller is installed, while you supply a compatible transmitter, battery, and charger. Plug-N-Play (PNP) commonly means the power system and servos are installed, while you supply the receiver, transmitter, battery, and charger. Read the exact product page's “In the Box” and “Needed to Complete” sections before adding or removing anything from your budget.
Fill this out for each candidate. Leave a line at zero only after the product page or your own equipment label proves it is covered. Prices and stock change, so record the date beside each figure. As a dated reference point, Horizon’s trainer category showed the HobbyZone Apprentice STOL S 700mm RTF at $229.99 on September 14, 2026. Treat that as a snapshot before delivery, tax, or missing equipment. For a separate, purely hypothetical example, a $160 model needing an $80 transmitter, $30 battery, and $40 charger already totals $310 before delivery, tax, and spares. Replace every figure with quotes for the exact equipment you need.
Choose RTF when you have no aircraft radio, battery, or charger and want the fewest compatibility decisions. It is not automatically the cheapest way into the hobby; compare the package total with what you would reuse on a second airplane. Also check the small print. One current HobbyZone Apprentice STOL S 700mm RTF page lists the airplane, receiver, 2S battery, USB-C charger, SLT6 transmitter, and AA batteries in the box, with “Nothing” needed to complete. That is a useful example of what a complete RTF package looks like, not a rule for every RTF listing.
Choose BNF when you already have the correct radio system and want that transmitter to serve more than one model. Confirm the receiver protocol, channel count, battery voltage and connector before counting your existing gear as free. Horizon's Timber manual marks the BNF receiver as installed while still listing the recommended battery, balancing charger, and compatible transmitter as required to complete.
Choose PNP when you already understand receiver installation and setup, have a compatible transmitter, and can price the battery and charger separately. It can be a sensible second step; it is usually a poor shortcut for a first flight when the missing electronics are unknown. Avoid using an EDF jet as your first-plane budget test. For a first plane, choose a trainer and get instruction or simulator practice; a forgiving airframe gives you more time to learn takeoff, turns, landing, and repairs before a fast model makes a mistake expensive.
If your worksheet says the right trainer is outside your budget, keep the missing items visible instead of settling for a mystery bundle. Search by the exact model and version, or post a want-to-buy request that names the transmitter protocol, battery specification, charger requirement, condition, and your complete delivered budget. A seller can answer a specific question much more usefully than “looking for a cheap plane.” RC House listings can carry those equipment details, photos, and a shipped or pickup option when a suitable listing exists; availability is not guaranteed.
Manufacturer product pages and the Timber manual were checked September 14, 2026. Prices and bundle contents can change. Check the exact model and version before ordering.
The discussions below cover the same questions about trainers, radio compatibility, batteries, and chargers.