Yes it can..but you can also just throw it up into the air ..i did this to make sure i had built it correctly..i.e..wings were not askew, nose wasnt too heavy...etc...depending on how it does in free flight depends on if anything needed adjusting..it didnt....i did a combination of both yesterday in one flight..launched it in free flight..then used remote whilst in the air..then free flight then remote to land.