Electric rc airplanes give's you the easiest, quickest and cheapest way of getting started in powered rc flying. There's a good range of electric planes available nowadays, and choosing a suitable model does need some considerations. Many RTF (ready to fly) or ARTF (almost ready to fly) kits are the best thing to go for, as these are better suited for those who have less modelling experience. The next option is whether to go for a Balsa wood or Foam construction plane. My advice would be to go for a Foam construction. These are extremely strong, and can be fixed up very quickly if ever you do have a mishap or crash. Another thing to take into consideration, is the size of the model. A plane with a very short wingspan will be much harder to fly, so a plane with a wingspan of between 30" and 50" would be ideal.
 
So what falls into this category. Well the Multiplex Easystar is still my favourite plane. Its designed for the complete novice, but can be tuned up later on to suit the more experienced pilot. Its made from Elapor foam, which is light, and yet extremely strong. Its controlled by a rudder and elevator, and comes in either the RTF version, which is ready to fly straight out the box, or the ARTF version. The ARTF version is pretty straight forward to put together, and can be completed in a just few hours. Another good plane is the Graupner Elektro-UHU. This is another foam model, very similar to the Easystar although this one isn't quite as strong. Both these models are around £50 for the ARTF versions.

Electronic Speed Controller (ESC)
The electronic Speed controller or ESC, is a unit which plugs into the throttle channel on a receiver. It interprets control information not as mechanical motion as would a servo, but rather in a way that it varies the switching rate of a network of field effect transistors, or FETs. Most modern ESC's incorporate a battery eliminator circuit (BEC) to regulate voltage for the RX, removing the need for extra batteries, i.e. the motor and servo's can all be run from one battery. ESC's are normally rated by the maximum current (amps) they can support, these range from as low as 8A all the way to over 100A.

Batteries
Batteries have come a long way in the past couple of years, which is why electric RC flying has progressed the way it has. The most common types of rechargeable rc batteries are NiCd (Nickel-Cadium Battery), NiMH (Nickel Metal Hydride Battery) and Li-poli (Lithium Polymer Batteries). NiCd packs are made up of 1.2V cells, so a 12V pack is made up of 10 cells connected in series. NiMH batteries are similar to NiCd's but can have two to three times the capacity of an equivalent size NiCd. Being much lighter, these suit rc aircraft much better, so are more commonly used than NiCd. Li-poly batteries are without doubt the future. These are made up of 3.7V cells, and a Typical 11.1V pack would be classed as a 3s1p. They can range from a 2s pack (7.4V) to over a 12s pack (44.4V).These are extremely light and can give over three times the flight duration than that of a similar weight NiMH. The only drawback with Li-poly, is that you have to make sure the voltage never drops below 3V per cell.
 

Propellers
There's many different types of props available for electric rc aircraft which come in all different shapes and sizes. A prop is made up of two measurements, the diameter and the pitch. A typical 10x6 prop will have a diameter of 10 inches from tip to tip and a pitch of 6". The pitch measurement means that it will have 6 inches of forward movement per revolution. APCE are a good choice of prop for electric aircraft, as these produce a great balance between performance and efficiency. These props can range from 4" diameter to over 30" and come in a huge range of pitch options, so there's plenty of choice to suit many different types of planes and motors.