radio-controlled aircraft A radio-controlled aircraft (often called RC aircraft or RC plane) is a small flying machine that is controlled remotely by an operator on the ground using a hand-held radio transmitter. The transmitter continuously communicates with a receiver ( ...

, a hotliner is a fast

sailplane A glider or sailplane is a type of glider aircraft used in the leisure activity and sport of gliding (also called soaring). This unpowered aircraft can use naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to gain altitude. Sailplan ...

with an

electric motor An electric motor is an Electric machine, electrical machine that converts electrical energy into mechanical energy. Most electric motors operate through the interaction between the motor's magnetic field and electric current in a Electromagneti ...

. The range of what is often described as a hotliner varies from a sailplane with

ailerons An aileron (French for "little wing" or "fin") is a hinged flight control surface usually forming part of the trailing edge of each wing of a fixed-wing aircraft. Ailerons are used in pairs to control the aircraft in Flight dynamics, roll (or ...

to 7000

watt The watt (symbol: W) is the unit of power or radiant flux in the International System of Units (SI), equal to 1 joule per second or 1 kg⋅m2⋅s−3. It is used to quantify the rate of energy transfer. The watt is named after James Wa ...

competition F5b planes. General characteristics of a hotliner are: * Sailplane with at least aileron and

elevator An elevator or lift is a wire rope, cable-assisted, hydraulic cylinder-assisted, or roller-track assisted machine that vertically transports people or freight between floors, levels, or deck (building), decks of a building, watercraft, ...

control * Electric motor * Ability to climb at an angle of 70 degrees or more, usually vertical climbs. Hotliners have been around since the early 1990s and became popular almost a decade later.

History

The first hotliner was Hans-Dieter Levin's ''Aeronaut Sinus'', described in a

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

magazine A magazine is a periodical publication, generally published on a regular schedule (often weekly or monthly), containing a variety of content. They are generally financed by advertising, purchase price, prepaid subscriptions, or by a combinatio ...

. Originally, hotliners were electric sailplanes with remotely controlled ailerons, capable of flying faster than the models of the period that only had

rudder A rudder is a primary control surface used to steer a ship, boat, submarine, hovercraft, aircraft, or other vehicle that moves through a fluid medium (generally aircraft, air or watercraft, water). On an aircraft the rudder is used primarily to ...

and elevator controls. Levin tested his ''Sinus'' with a Speed 600 motor and an 8x4.5?(''diameter(inches)/pitch(incher per revolution)'') prop and a 7 cell NiCad battery pack. In this configuration a climb at more than 70° was not possible. However, the term, hotliner, has since evolved to mean models with a fast climb rate. Aileron-equipped electric models which are not so fast are called warmliners. Typically hotliners are launched at full throttle and reach a high altitude. From here the pilot cuts the motor and starts a series of maneuvers. Radio-controlled aircraft {{UAV-stub