Building a plane from scratch might not be considered a dead art, but it is dying. With the proliferation of inexpensive ARF's, not many people seem to want to build anymore. When I got into this hobby I was immediately drawn to building a plane for myself. My main motivation was to have a plane that was "one of a kind" and I would know that everything was done correctly.

Read more: Build with Magnets

There's a lot more to getting your airplane trimmed, than just sliding the tabs on your transmitter. A correctly trimmed airplane is much more stable and fun to fly! When building a model airplane, it is important that the plane be balanced and wing incidences be set correctly. Take your time with these procedures! If you don't have an incidence meter, borrow or buy one.  This is the only correct way to check and set your incidence. Check the balance on the CG front to rear, and from left to right.   One of the easiest ways to do this is by finding the CG on the fuselage, then finding the center, (left to right) of the plane. Screw in a  small eye hook, and hang your plane. It should balance front to rear, and side to side. The engine thrust angle and the CG interact with each other. Double check both to make sure that they are set according to plans. Yaw and lateral balance create similar symptoms. If you are having problems in this area, check to see if the fin is straight.  It's far easier to make changes in the building stage than after the model is covered. If you follow the trim adjustment below, and still have problems, check for non centering servos, play in control linkages, and aileron and elevator gap.

Read more: Trimming Your Airplane