VTOL RC Planes: Tilt-Rotor, Tail-Sitter and Quadplane Options

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RC planes that take off vertically, hover over your head, then tip forward into level flight sound like the best of both worlds. They are also among the most demanding models in the hobby, because the tricky part is the few seconds in between. This guide explains how the three main VTOL layouts work, checks each model from the old plug-and-fly era against the maker's own listing, and looks at what is still being made.

A note on method: this page is based on manufacturer specs, manuals and official documentation, not on our own flying. Stock status comes from the maker's structured product data in October 2026. Flight times and similar figures are manufacturer claims.

Here is the headline. Every E-flite VTOL covered below is listed as discontinued by Horizon Hobby. That leaves a gap between those retired plug-and-fly models and the builder-grade route, where a flight controller running ArduPilot does the hard work and the pilot does the configuring. If you are still learning to land a conventional airplane, start with the best RC trainer planes or the best RC planes for beginners. VTOL will still be there afterward. For a very different kind of flying, the ICON A5 amphibious guide is worth a look, and the FPV planes guide covers camera flying.

Quick Overview

Three Ways to Hover and Then Fly

The layout tells you most of what you need to know about how forgiving a model will be.

True tilt-rotor. The same rotors that lift the plane rotate to push it forward, like the full-size V-22 Osprey. During the transition the flight controller must manage rotor angle, thrust and growing wing lift at the same time, and control surfaces do little at low airspeed. It looks the most like the real thing and asks the most of the flight controller.

Delta-wing hybrid. The Convergence family uses a delta wing with three motors: two on the wing that rotate between vertical and horizontal, and one fixed motor in the tail. Per Horizon, in multirotor flight the wing motors point up and provide lift together with the tail motor. In airplane flight they rotate to horizontal, the elevons take over pitch and bank, and differential thrust from the wing motors handles yaw. Horizon contrasts this with VTOL designs that rotate the entire wing and need as many as four motors.

Tail-sitter. The whole airplane points nose-up in hover, then pitches forward. There is no tilt mechanism, which makes it mechanically simple, but the pilot's reference changes from vertical to horizontal at the transition.

Quadplane. A conventional fixed-wing airframe gets extra lift motors that only run in hover and transition. ArduPilot's documentation describes a QuadPlane as a combined fixed wing and multicopter aircraft that offers vertical takeoff and landing, greater speed and range than a multicopter, and the ability to hover. Its docs also note that motors can be under tilt control or not, and that the VTOL stance can be horizontal or vertical (a tailsitter).

For a general discussion of stabilization and autopilot hardware, the flight controller guide is the right companion.

E-flite V-22 Osprey

Search for the E-flite V-22 Osprey VTOL on Amazon

The V-22 is the model most people mean when they search for an RC Osprey. Per Horizon, it is an officially licensed replica of the Bell Boeing tiltrotor with an exclusive flight control system that lets it fly as a multirotor or an airplane, and the transition is triggered by flipping a flight-mode switch. Both the BNF Basic (EFL9650) and the PNP (EFL9675) are listed as discontinued.

Modes. Horizon lists three: Multirotor Stability Mode, which limits pitch and bank angles and self-levels when the sticks are released; Airplane Stability Mode, which rotates the tiltrotors and adds angle limits and self-leveling; and Airplane Acro Mode, which has no angle limits and no self-leveling, and allows loops and rolls.

In the box (BNF Basic). Three installed brushless ESCs and motors, five installed servos, a Spektrum 4648 DSMX serial receiver, an installed flight controller, a decal sheet, spare main props and a manual. You supply the transmitter, the battery and the charger. The landing gear with a castering nose wheel is optional, so you can fly "retracted" or taxi for rolling takeoffs.

The honest caveat. Horizon calls the transition simple and predictable. That is a maker claim, and a tilt-rotor transition is the most complex stage of any VTOL flight, so treat the stability modes and a generous altitude as the starting point. Four minutes of flight time also leaves little room for retries. Because the model is discontinued, any copy you find is secondhand or old stock.

E-flite Convergence

Search for the E-flite Convergence VTOL on Amazon

The Convergence is a delta-wing VTOL with software tuned, per Horizon, by designer Mike McConville. The BNF Basic (EFL11050) and PNP (EFL11075) are both listed as discontinued.

Modes and setup. Stability Mode limits pitch and bank angles and levels the model when the sticks are released, and it engages automatically during the transition. Acro Mode has no angle limits or self-leveling in any phase of flight, and in multirotor flight the model can flip and roll. Setup uses the GEAR switch for Stability and Acro and the AUX 1 switch for the transition. No complex programming is required, per Horizon.

FPV. The model has a camera bay under the nose and a mounting place for a video transmitter. Horizon notes that a HAM license is required to operate the recommended 5.8GHz video transmitter in North America.

E-flite Mini Convergence

Search for the E-flite Mini Convergence VTOL on Amazon

The Mini Convergence is the same idea in a smaller airframe. Per Horizon, it is a more compact version that you can fly in more places and smaller spaces, including indoors. The BNF Basic (EFL9350) is listed as discontinued.

The Mini Convergence and the V-22 both use an 800mAh 3S pack, so a pack bought for one fits the other, in principle. Check connectors before assuming it.

E-flite X-VERT

Search for the E-flite X-VERT VTOL on Amazon

The X-VERT is a tail-sitter. Per Horizon, its tail-sitter design and SAFE stabilization let it fly like an airplane or a multirotor, and the transition is a switch flip. Both the BNF Basic (EFL1850) and the RTF (EFL1800) are listed as discontinued.

The RTF version came with a Spektrum DXe transmitter, a 2S 7.4V 800mAh battery, a charger and AA batteries. Horizon also offered an optional servo-driven FPV camera mount that tilts the camera automatically with the flight mode.

The Current Route: HEEWING and ArduPilot

With the E-flite family gone, the active options come from smaller makers and from the flight-controller community.

HEEWING T1-S Ranger S VTOL PNP

Search for the HEEWING T1-S Ranger S VTOL PNP on Amazon

HEEWING sells a T1-S VTOL PNP with a stabilizer. Per the maker, the VTOL PNP comes with a pre-installed and pre-configured F405-based VTOL flight controller. To try the factory parameters you hook up a receiver, configure it, calibrate the radio and match the flight modes to your radio. HEEWING says the preloaded VTOL parameters are for reference only, and that the VTOL "must be powered on 4S, not lower."

The product page currently shows both variants as sold out or unavailable, although its structured data says in stock, so check the current listing for availability. HEEWING also sells the non-VTOL T1 Ranger KIT: EPP foam, 730 mm wingspan, 645 mm length, a 205 g kit weight and a 350 to 500 g takeoff weight. That kit comes unassembled and without electronics.

This route is a different kind of project from a plug-and-fly E-flite. You are configuring a flight controller, not just binding a receiver.

HEEWING T2 Cruza VTOL PNP

Search for the HEEWING T2 Cruza VTOL PNP on Amazon

The T2 Cruza is a much larger airframe: 1200 mm wingspan, 1110 mm length, three 3110 motors, three 6S ESCs, four metal digital servos and two metal tilt servos. HEEWING lists a takeoff weight of 2000 to 3500 g and a 6S battery, with a 15 to 20 minute flight time claim. The page asks pilots to keep altitude under 50 meters and avoid beyond-visual-line-of-sight flight. The PNP needs your own radio, receiver, battery, charger and stabilizer.

Building your own: ArduPilot QuadPlane

ArduPilot's Plane firmware includes QuadPlane support. The parameter that enables it, Q_ENABLE, defaults to 0, and setting it to 1 turns on QuadPlane features and reveals the Q_ parameters. ArduPilot documents setup, flying, tuning and AUTO missions in separate sections.

One parameter worth knowing about is Q_TRANSITION_MS, which sets the transition time in milliseconds after minimum airspeed is reached. ArduPilot marks it for advanced users, with a range of 500 to 30000 ms. The point of that example is not the number but the idea: transitions are tuned, not guessed. A badly set transition is the most likely way to lose a quadplane.

ATOMRC's Dolphin is sometimes used as a base for conversions, but the maker sells it as a fixed-wing FPV platform: an EPP flying wing with a V tail, 845 mm wingspan, 710 mm length, and a 1.1 kg item weight, with a version that includes an F405 NAVI flight controller. Any VTOL conversion of it is a community project that ATOMRC's product page does not describe.

Two other names often appear in conversion discussions, ZOHD and XK. Neither could be verified for this guide: ZOHD's domain is parked for sale, and XK's models are described inconsistently by resellers, with no maker spec sheet found. This guide leaves out their specs rather than repeat unverified numbers.

For batteries on a quadplane, where hover and cruise loads differ, the LiPo battery guide covers selection and safe handling.

Rules and Safety

Per the FAA, recreational flyers must keep their aircraft within visual line of sight, follow the guidelines of an FAA-recognized community-based organization, take TRUST and carry proof, and register aircraft that weigh 250 grams (0.55 lb) or more. Registered aircraft must also comply with Remote ID. Check the FAA's current pages for how that applies to your model.

Practical habits for any VTOL:

• Fly where a crash costs little. Open grass beats pavement.
• Gain altitude before transitioning. The stability modes help, but the transition is where most things go wrong.
• Test the flight modes on the bench. Hold the model and confirm the correction directions before powering up for a flight.
• Keep the batteries healthy. Voltage sag under hover load matters on small packs.

Which Route Fits You

For related reading on the intermediate step, the intermediate pilots guide and the Extra 300 3D guide cover other directions to take once you have a couple of airplanes behind you.

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