How do you store your sailplanes?

[gasbag floater]

I would like to create a rack system for my planes that are "in the mix" (i.e. flyable). I have a vague idea of modifying a gun rack to show off my arsenal.
The parameters are as follows:
1. Fairly inexpensive
2. It should hold up to four planes
3. Take up as little foot space as possible
4. Aesthetically pleasing
5. Easily accessibe
I'm curious on how others have handled this.

[DFW_HLG_TG]

I have done this. I made a box that is 5' x 16" x 8" tall. I hung this box about a foot off of the floor. About 5 feet above the floor I have a 2x4 with 8 dowels that stick out 8". It holds about 6 planes

[Robglover]

Each plane gets its' own cardboard box. Sometimes the original shipping box works, other times it's a custom made box.

The custom box can be homemade. I have found a commercial shipping packaging company locally that will make me a great box for around ten bucks, I do it this way.

Boxes sit on long shelves in the basement, and the planes travel to and from the field in them as well. This really cuts down on hanger rash.

happy trails

[Landi]

Hi Gasbag

Have a look at this thread (http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=315350) there is a lot of info about storing sailplanes. This thread started a few months back and became very popular and lots of people posted their way of storing planes.

Saludos,
Landi

[solo6796]

I made a caddy from PVC pipe. The fuselages rest on balsa blocks and are secured by small bungies. The wings are stored in boxes or bags and fit on the other side.

I can carry 3 complete planes from the car to the house with one hand.

They stay on the caddy unless I'm flying or working on them.

I keep my Hawk (the blue one) safe with a ski bag from Sun and Ski Sports.

AJ

[gasbag floater]

These are all good. but maybe I should expalin that it's more of a display system that I'm looking to do and less on the storage side. I'm fortunate enought to have an extra room that I can use to "display" my hobby. I don't think cardboard boxes or pvc would fly with the wife. In the workshop corner of the garage I can do whatever I want. But as soon as I cross that theshold into the house, it better be nice looking.

[Ollie]

"How do you store your sailplanes?"

I can store my sailplanes, now and then, in the tops of trees. :) :( ;)

[nemonis]

I found a nice, simple way to store my (one) sailplane. I just hang it from the roof with some string. With an 8' ceiling, you can hand the plane down by 18" and still clear heads easily. Besides, I am too lazy to make a fancy shelf. :D You even get to display the plane in a "flight" sort of position.

God bless!
Wayne J.

[Hawksnest]

I have about 7 of 10 planes I'm taking, packed in a pipe rack to go to Muncie Woodcrafters next week in my Element, and the rest are pictures taken in my shop. Molded/composite wings on a pipe rack above shelving, zagis and HL on one wall, what's left after packing the car, fuses, stabs, and wings, on another wall. My shop is 30' X 30', electrics not shown on the other side. OOPS, did not realize I had a fuzzy picture in the bunch. Bill G.

[Hawksnest]

Forgot the pics

[Hawksnest]

one more

[barefootbass]

If you are looking for ease and showability use shelf hangers, the "L" brackets shelving sits on. Just mount to the wall and set planes on them.
***Quote***With an 8' ceiling, you can hand the plane down by 18" and still clear heads easily. Ouch, I need bigger ceilings..(6'4" :))

[seerspaz]

Hawksnest - You have a serious addiction! That is quite the collection to have to store. I wish I had the space you do.

Spaz

[Hawksnest]

Hawksnest - You have a serious addiction! That is quite the collection to have to store. I wish I had the space you do.
Spaz

Thanks, I've been modeling for 60 years, R/C since 1962, and am retired now for a few years, and just build and fly. Went from flying molded TD planes, Sharons, Emeralds, Millenniums , back to flying mostly all woodys, my first choice. Built the new shop 5 years ago, and gave my wife my old shop in the house. We fly TD, HL, and slope, here at my home in PA. BG

[gasbag floater]

Hawksnest-
I aspire to be you. That's impressive ;) Thanks for sharing the variety of storage/display systems you have. It puts my little hovel to shame.

[gasbag floater]

Here is my thermal arsenal on the modified gunrack. I'm ready for action and need not worry about hangar rash and spider droppings. The slope foamies and works in progress stay in the garage.

[Maineiac63]

You have way to many planes there Hawksnest !! I guess he who dies with the most toys wins? How many do you have anyway? I've been flying for only 51 years so looks like you have me by a few there. And I've only 30 some odd planes flyable so you've probably got me there too. I did give a bunch away to make more room for more though - couldn't see leaving a bunch to be hanger queens when someone could fly them. I still have a few that haven't flown for years, also. I do admire your set up, good storage job. I should post a picture of my "hanger".

[Hawksnest]

You have way to many planes there Hawksnest !! snip I should post a picture of my "hanger".

Yes, post a picture please. I help flyer's build in my shop, and when I get too many planes built, I give some to local flyer's who need planes to fly. I built my first sailplane, a Thermic 50 FF, while at the U of A in Tuscaloosa, Ala. Bill G.

[RBeach]

I am fortunate, in that I am able to work from my office at home. I am also in the Export business and few if any of my customers come to visit my office, I normally travel overseas to visit there offices.
About a year ago I decided to remodel one of the bedrooms, in our house, into a proper office. I decided to combine my office with my sailplane hobby. I covered one wall and part of the ceiling with smooth Western Red Cedar laid on the diagonal. I had various scraps of Pecan wood from an earlier remodel job, the next step was to carve hangers from Pecan wood to fit various sailplanes. On an opposite all I built a wing rack that stores wings in halves. The tallest one half wing is an Legionnaire 140" which is about 68" tall. It helps that we have 10 foot high ceilings.
All in all I have been very pleased with the results.

RBeach

[Hawksnest]

I covered one wall and part of the ceiling with smooth Western Red Cedar laid on the diagonal. I had various scraps of Pecan wood from an earlier remodel job, the next step was to carve hangers from Pecan wood to fit various sailplanes. On an opposite all I built a wing rack that stores wings in halves. The tallest one half wing is an Legionnaire 140" which is about 68" tall.
RBeach

Very , very, nice ! Good job combining your office and sailplane display. I'm impressed, very tasteful. Bill G.

[Alex J]

I moved into a new house and I haven't been able to build a workroom yet, but at least I secured some space in the basement to store the fleet. The planes are placed on lenghtened (PVC pipe covered in foam) shelf brackets (were 1 foot long).

Once I get to build my shop, I intend to built another similar rack to the side for the gliders that can be seen in the right corner and put the Sommer (german) 5 output battery charger (AC) in the middle.

The boxes at the bottom are winch (left), some 12V batteries for the winch and field chargers, flight boxes (electric and gliders) and a big box with zillions of little things (servos, cables, etc).

The planes are a 1:3.85 Piper PA18 with a Zenoah 38, a 1:3.5 Glasflügel Libelle, a F3A CA Model Eclipse with a Hacker C50, a F3A Mystic 120 hiding behind the Eclipse, a Skybench Lil Bird and to the left a F3B Ellipse 2, Ellipse 4 and Scar, a Mini Ellipse and not seen, an Allegro Lite. :D

Alex

[gasbag floater]

Now THAT's what I'm talking about. These are the planes which are conveniently stored and ready to go in a minute's notice-- much like a turnout room in a Fire Station. Any others are in the workshop hangar either under construction or in for repair. I love it.

[thelocust]

Coroplast and foam travel box:
http://thelocust.org/albums/travelboxen/20050523_travelbox_01_fullbox.thumb.jpghttp://thelocust.org/albums/travelboxen/20050523_travelbox_05_innards.thumb.jpghttp://thelocust.org/albums/travelboxen/60inch_travelboxen.thumb.jpg

Larger photos and plans are here:
http://thelocust.org/gallery/travelboxen

I don't have pics of my PVC wall-rack, but that is where I store the mothballed stuff. Just a bunch of PVC right-angle and "T" joiners and some 1/2" PVC friction-fit together with some stand-offs at the bottom to induce some angle into the rails.

[gliderstuff]

i store mine in the kitchen since no one ever uses it for cooking/..

[Gary Warner]

Coroplast and foam travel box:


Thanks for posting the plans. I found some sheets of Coroplast today and I'll be putting one together this weekend, to use at the IHLGF.

Gary
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