The first successful radio-controlled airplane is widely considered to be the Big Guff, built and flown by twin brothers Walter and Bill Good in 1938. It had a wingspan of eight feet, weighed eight and a half pounds, and was powered by a small gas engine. Lead-acid batteries provided the power to the control surface actuators (pseudo servos) and the transmitter was so heavy that the electronics and batteries sat on the ground while a cable connected control box was held by the pilot. This historic RC airplane now permanently resides in the Smithsonian.
Walt and Bill Good: The Pioneers of Radio Control Aeromodeling
