As you might have read on my modeler history dedicated (and now illustrated) blog page https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show....php?t=1816598 the number of models exploded in recent years. Living in a 100 square meter apartment and driving the smallest Mercedes (A-Klasse) required ingenuity to combine space available and my rediscovered hobby.

Unwilling to permanently sacrifice the cozy and neutral aspect of my living space, during spring 2011 I opted to change the guestroom into a hobby room. The bed went to my parents and I bought a strong but folding 185x75cm worktable to fill one wall. The other long wall being already completely filled by pullout clothing and shoe racks, and one short side being a front window, the other the hall door, only left 4m60 by 2m20 to build and stock my model aircraft collection. Between the table and window I was able to securely fasten a shelf rail construction from the top to the bottom of the room, using adjustable and different length arms to support a variety of aircraft on a minimal space. The rest of that wall still had a wide wooden plank on which I could hang other models.

As usual build tables quickly fill up, especially when working on relatively long models as the Lander Hawker Hunter. And that was before I permanently established the left side of the table to a vertical drilling station, a Dremel with accessories, separate electrical and butane gas solder stations, lightened magnifying glass, mini table saw, and other things you need to make or modify airplanes.

With new models arriving faster (there is always a sale or end of series you HAVE TO purchase) as older getting out of the way or sold, halfway 2011 the Dynam DC3 had to remain on the floor for a while before being modified and assembled. Problems with the Lander Hunter caused it to be temporarely stored half assembled, the Hyper F104 got assembled but will not be flown immediately, the Robbe F16 got reinforced and skin painted in more details before being varnished for protection and hardening. Due to their shape, cg and different proportions, jets need a complete different way to store as prop warbirds.

Storing model aircraft home is the easy part, transporting them to the airfield is even more complicated, especially if your car is a diminutive Mercedes A-class. Although external car size is small (dictated by the size of my garage), the 5-door modular concept allows a remarkable amount of interior space to be available. Ask a woman how she is able to squeeze 200 pair of shoes in a single closet and you might get the point how I continuously was able to bring a mix of 5 aircraft to the field. There was a particular order for loading or unloading the various combinations so they ended up secured without rubbing or transport rash, and club members invariably had a puzzled look on their face observing me doing my magic tricks.

The above picture shows the back of the car, where the field commodities as a folding chair and knee pad plus battery boxes were loaded first. Then a Robbe fieldstand was fastened with sandows on top of the lowered seatbacks. This formed the base for the large aircraft as the Mustang, Spitfire of B25's, all being about 1m45 wide and fitting the cars' widest waistline slightly sideways. A relatively small plane as the E-flite SE5a could be blocked vertically using bubble plastic to separate it from the biggie. Using the left back door I then could place fixed gear aircraft with a short nose such as a multiplex Funcub or FMS PT17 between the front and back seat. There also remained just sufficient space to roll the Robbe F16 in under the raised Mustang (with retracted gear). Next I filled the passenger footwell with the remaining field boxes, spare shoes, jacket and water bottle, then lowered the passenger seatback and filled the created very long horizontal space with either large wings, or foam boxes modified to carry partly dismantled large aircraft like gliders or on this picture the hard to recognize DC3 (wing visible).

Everything sat so nice it is hard to believe I never had any scratch or dent during the 20km drive to the field, even after executing emergency stops or rather tight fast turns. In order to speed up the loading and unloading of the car at home and at the field I created some field boxes. An aluminum case contains both my Spectrum DX7 or DX10 transmitter and a quadra 12v/220v battery charger, and all system and aircraft manuals behind the flap with essential field tools. A plastic tool box contains more tools and spare parts underneath, then a red removable tray with custom made wheel chocks for various tire seizes in case of windy days, and under two separate flaps on top specific FMS hardware and general assortments of neatly pouched M1, M1,5, M2, M3 hardware and glue, hinges, horns etc. An assortiment of batteries appropriate for the models I take along is divided into two solid fireproof metal carry cases. All batteries are model labeled and remaining space taken up by the various charge cables and balancing wires.

After completing more models I had no other choice as to first make a second vertical rack on the wall, and shortly thereafter a third one.
Thanks to being able to simply put the shelf arms higher or lower it was possible to intersect the airplanes' wings, and stocking them with retracted gears augmented the rack capacity in a serious way. I could keep them high enough above the table to be able to work comfortably on other projects. Winter 2012 the first FMS T28 arrived and got completely stripped of paint and systems before being modified in the one flying next to our model field.

An immense petrol second hand Stampe SV4 had been purchased and modified into a 1000W electrical model but much other work had to be performed and in between the fuslage found a space under the large Windrider Boeing 737 foam box. Spring 2013 the white Air Force T28 got completed but I bought a second hand FMS Navy T28 as a trainer before attempting to fly the much heavier modified version. Those are big beasts and I'm much to the limit of my stock capabilities on my wall. Pretty soon I will have to either crash a few (not intentionally) or sell a few, in order to make space. I still consider the Mustang, SE5a, Robbe F16, Multiplex Xeno, Graupner ASW22 and Navy FMS Trojan as trainers so they are redundant, the Robbe F86, Multiplex Funcub, Tiger moth and B25 Sarinah have already gone. Awaiting time and space: Windrider Boeing737, FlyFly F100 Super Sabre, Hunter two seater, Pilatus PC7 modification (from PC9 kit ) and Phoenix 3,5m Ka8b glider.

All the squeezing of those model in and out of the car each flying day prompted me into a better solution. I already had a camper but the space was limited and I sold it to a club member when a longer camper from a friend was for sale. This one had separate living and sleeping rooms and I figured this was not only much more practicable to go to music festivals, but would allow me to take my airplanes to the field in a much easier way. The front of the camper can be made into an extra bedroom by lowering the table, but that also inspired me to devise a removable construction with drainage pipe, just hanging from the overhead lockers, and spreading the weight over the seats. The camper's door only is 47cm (19 inches) wide and I wanted the whole construction to be easily removable without any drilling or other permanent attachments into the camper living. After some experimentation I came up with a clever system to store 4 or 5 planes slightly tilted so they won't slide off their rails during turns. After unloading, I can simply lift the rack from its location and store it in the front or back of the camper, raise the table and have the original living room across the fire and refrigerator available for 4 people.

Encouraged by that result I studied the possibilities of the back sleeping room and again came up with a clever but different solution. I wanted to be able to transport planes, and quickly made up my mind how to again fit about 5 to 7 large aircraft on the bed and on the rack, all relatively well blocked from movements while driving.

For the bedroom I also wanted to remove the rack when going on holiday (completely freeing the double bed), but thought a lot for a way in between. After unloading the bedroom planes home I just could rotate the rack arms inwards after pushing the base of the rack against the wall, allowing ample space for me alone to sleep under/next to the folded rack for just a night somewhere.

When no festivals or holiday use of the camper, I leave about 12 planes continuously in there, taking just my 4 field boxes in the home to charge batteries or perform other work. This drastically reduces the risks of transport damages, expedites me getting going when the weather looks suitable for model flying, and frees a lot of stock space in the hobby room. It took me a while but my sometimes unorthodox solutions allow me to combine my model hobby with the rest my (normal?) life, on a grand scale with limited means and small budget and space. To be continued if new bright ideas shine through my mind :-)

During the last years the fleet has evolved substantially. Half of the foamies have been sold because of lack of storage space in the hobby room. Only the detailed models representative of the ones I flew in real were kept. Both FMS B25 bombers were replaced by a single larger Hangar9 model, the smaller EDF's were replaced by larger 90mm Fly Fly models and a twin 70mm Boeing 737, a large Pilatus PC7 awaits further finishing and a Piper Super Cub towship/scale repro joined the fleet. This required a serious reorganization of my racks on the wall.



Furthermore, emphasis has evolved more into towed large towed gliders which found storage above and next to closets in my bedroom, and in the living room. 4 meter class gliders which joined the fleet are a Ka6e, Ka8b, Twin Astir and Blanik, whilst a 2m80 RF5b motorglider was acquired for times when a towship is not available. Furthermore, during a recent trip to the Swiss border, I used dad's station wagon to bring back a huge 5,33m span Ka2b that barely fitted in it because the fuselage measures a whopping 2m74 long.



Needless to say, camper nr2 became too small and impractical to transport my models, also because I started attending week-long glider events and got tired of completely dismantling all my gliders every day and sharing the bed with them because there was no other place sufficiently large where they could be stowed during the nights. Camper nr2 was 24 years old and replaced by camper nr3 (a second-hand Hymer B644 with only 85000km on the clock) which was mainly bought because it has a huge garage along the whole back width, accessible from both sides, and long table with couch to make repairs on location, and transport completely assembled models on an easy removable sewage drain rack.



Once on location, the droppable frontal double bed is lowered over the cockpit seats to stow those models, keeping the complete living quarters free for camping. The thick heavy mattress was removed from that bed and a permanent fixture bolted for the RF5b mototglider. Leaving ample space for other things/models to be stowed over it.



In the aft garage I installed modular racks and other carriage devices to allow various large models and combinations thereof to be safely blocked for transport over longer distances. Hereunder are a couple of pictures of various models that already have been carried to events.


The Stampe wings are stowed transversally flat on the upper racks whilst the fuselage rests on crossmembers over a Twin Astir fuselage. The wings of the latter hang vertically in nylon rope loops suspended from the ceiling.


4meter span Blanik, Ka8b and Twin Astir plus their suspended wings still leave ample space for other things.


Blanik and Boeing 737 only form a partial fill of the cavern

Maximum width of the garage being 2m13, it allows me to carry most of my models (B25 and Pilatus wings being 2m05), but the 2m17 Blanik fuselage had to be adapted by separating the tailcone, making it pivot along a hinge and sufficiently locked by magnets, and fashioning a wooden long pin that is bolted to the camper, over which the aft fuselage slides into a locked position. The nose then rests against foam pads that I glued on the large access door, completely blocking the model for transport.
Hymer 2016-3


The versatility of camper 3 is such that it allows me much more carriage space and avoids hangar rash because the models don't have to be squeezed through the narrow entrance door anymore. Most of the time the large camper living space and double bed on the back over the garage are free of any models allowing me a full social life on location or long duration events. Due to its greater lengths, the Ka2b will require stowage in the living rooms of both house and camper, but I'll tackle that problem only when it is restored.

In 2016 I acquired and restored a scale 1:3 Ka2b glider and faced the problem of how to transport that 2m75 long fuselage and 5m33 wing (plus 1meter span horizontal stab, 62cm long canopy...). The 2m13 wide cavern in the back of my camper was way too small so it had to find a place in the interior and thus had to get in through the normal door which, typical for campers, is not very wide. The first trials getting it in through the door demonstrated it would have been impossible to get it in if either the fuselage or wings would have been just 10cm longer, it is really that tight to get it pivoted in. If only for transport, I could let it all rest on the floor in the gangway, but once at location, the camper would then have been completely unusable for living or sleeping, let stand any social activities inside. These trials also proved that a second table cradle had to be fabricated so the fuselage would never have to lay on its side somewhere on the ground whilst I repositioned the cradle/model from living room to outside the camper and then on camper table. That second cradle also would come in handy for model moves between the camper and the flightline. This one was made of light foam whilst it is only for intermittent fuselage placement.

The final transport/remote location storage solution came by the use of the unused drop-bed above the drivers compartment. Trial and error positioning of the individual long parts proved that there was a way to store everything with only minimal infringement of the living quarters. The complete kitchen and 7 people around the table arrangement remained completely free, the only limitation being about 15cm less headroom above the couch and 25cm in the complete drivers compartment (but thereby also eliminating the problems I had when driving against a low sun). Because that former bed stowed up at an angle and was flat when lowered, but with the glider in position it would end-up in a partial lowered position, it was very difficult to find the correct angle the fuselage and wings had to have for them to lay flat, close to but not pressed against the roof.

To obtain the minimal height for the fuselage and tail required it to be transported on its side. The wings could then be transported on top of each-other right along the fuselage, and their depth chosen as to not interfere with the flat vertical tail. With all the weight in the nose of the fuselage and the roots of the wings, it became possible to balance them just inside the former bed-place, the aft parts unsupported over the couch without having to drill holes or use ropes in the living room. That also allowed me to completely lower the bed mechanism and partially raise it to position the glider when taking it in and out of the camper. By making cushioned custom molds it would be possible to provide sufficient spread of the glider weight in order not to create excessive local stress on fuselage and wings, or chip paint during long trips, even over bad roads. This was essential for the heavy fuselage resting on its rather weak cockpit side panels. I therefore started by cutting 4cm Styrofoam panels to specific shapes and gluing them at the correct angles to attain the only possible driving position. That perfect shape had to be guessed taking into account that a 3,5cm thick mat had to come in-between fuselage and cradle.



Blocks were then glued vertically to further hug the fuselage bottom, the glider's front skid forming the outer limit against a future wooden wall. The position of the blocks had been chosen to coincide with the strong ply-wooden fuselage formers. Because the fuselage was planked in between, I decided to glue flexible plastic stringers over the complete length to better spread the weight over a larger surface. I used toothpicks and paint cans to keep these plastic strips in shape during the drying process.



Following step was to glue the soft cushion to the cradle. Instead of using light foam that compresses with time and reduces the cushioning to nothing after a few years (the fuselage weighs 8kg without the batteries), I used heavy 3,5cm thick but very soft sound insulation material which could be easily cut and somewhere shaped, but was much more resistant to squeezing flat in the long term. The best way to obtain a fuselage-hugging uniform support was to glue that material with expanding foam glue with the fuselage pushed firmly against the cushion. That was done by adding weight on top of another cushion temporarily resting on top of nose section.



That cradle was ideal to support the model's vertical movements during travel but didn't provide sufficient lateral nor horizontal stability for driving, and also had to be blocked on the bed surface. I therefore opted to make a box around the fuselage cradle, and fix that to a large baseplate that just hooked into the existing structure without having to drill holes in the camper. I used what we call “Betonplex” in 5mm thickness, these are hard and strong multiplex panels with a shiny surface used for pouring concrete in or making trailer sides. It took me some time to figure out the exact position of the cradle box so the bottom of the fuselage would be near the top closets and the protruding main wheel squeezed between the cradle and most forward part of the closets, thereby creating a first forward-aft resistance during acceleration and braking. The plate assembly is fully removable (for winter) and is just dropped into position on a blanket (for noise) during the flying season. All subsequent vertical items were carefully trimmed to allow the bed to be stowed in the full up position when the glider is not on board but the plates remain in place (during winter I hang them on a garage wall).



With the fuselage box finished I was able to find out how to best position the wings for transport. I decided for all kind of practical reasons to have them on top of each other, their leading edges closest to the fuselage and flat intrados surfaces facing each other. I know the aileron control horns are then facing the intrados of the other wing, but reasoned that the thick transport bags would limit the impacts and if necessary, I could always fix a piece of foam in-between at that spot. For the rest I wanted to have those wings stay put without having to attach them neither to themselves nor to the camper, physical obstacles had to ensure their positioning during driving. I thus fabricated a root and spoiler position cradle with the pronounced (now inverted extrados) curve as shape. This again needed trial and error fittings aboard because due to the precise angle for the wing along the ceiling and the much tapering wing thickness along its cord, it was impossible to get it right by just measuring with the bed position partially lowered. I again glued 3,5cm soft material on top and then positioned both cradles so the wing leading edges were blocked by the fuselage cradle, aluminum wing tube (more about that later) and kept a few centimeters from the fuselage with the tips ending just short of the (now horizontal) vertical tail.



After filling-up the left side I made a light white baseplate for the right half of the bed. That again used two hooks to squeeze itself tight after being dropped into position. The space on that was just sufficient to drop-in the horizontal stabilizer, canopy and turtle deck, all kept in place by wood and foam blocks without having to attach anything. Both pilot puppets can be stowed horizontally against each-other under the canopy during transport, hopefully they'll stay calm and don't make small pilots blaming it on the bumps in the road ;-)

The complete stowage operation is not complicated and doesn't require tools but has to be performed in following order:

1) Both driving seats have to be in their full back positions and the back of the driver's one reclined halfway.
2) Lower the former bed structure and if not yet in place, install the left and right cradle plates into position. Everything is easily accessible because it is at table height and completely horizontal
3) The house/field cradle is placed on the camper table, after which the fuselage is pushed tail first through the door with the (bagged tail) ending up in the aft gangway before the nose can be pivoted in. The fuselage is then placed in a normal stance in its table cradle.
4) The aluminum cross-member is inserted between the wing attach points and the bolts pushed through to secure.
5) The fuselage is now lifted from its home-cradle (using the aluminum bar as a handhold) and rotated 90° to the right after which it can be advanced over its transport cradle and when far enough forward, the tail can be pivoted towards the closets so the fuselage sits parallel to the couch. When the aluminum bar sits tightly against the frame of the bed, the skid is pushed against the back of the cradle before the fuselage nose is allowed to drop completely in the transport cradle.
6) The starboard wing is now brought in (in its bag), vertically with leading edge at the bottom and wingtip first into the gangway. When the root is finally in, the wing can then be rotated 90° and slid upside down onto its cradles next to the fuselage. The root and main spar are then pushed against the 25cm high L-shaped metal limiter at the end of the plate. The wingtip can now be pushed almost against the fuselage-top before that extrados sits perfectly in its cradle and the (bagged) leading edge sits against the aluminum fuselage cross-member.
7) The port wing can now enter in a similar way, but then rotated right side up to lay completely flat on top of the other wing's flat intrados, just as a mirrored image of the lower wing.
8) The fully bagged horizontal tail can now enter and be slid under the far guides and dropped behind the closer guides. No more fastening is necessary and the turtle deck can then be slid under the cutout at the back, whilst the front is hand bolted to the holes in the hardboard (with the same nylon flight bolts).
9) Both pilots are then squeezed horizontally in spoon-fashion under the canopy that is then pushed back till it engages the same catch on the back as it does on the glider. The front is then allowed to drop on a filth strip while a transverse foam block catches the cross-member and blocks the whole assembly firmly into place just by gravity.
10) Everything is now into place but still literally in the middle of the camper



To keep the heavy fuselage from wandering around when on the move and especially during emergency stops, I use a 25x25mm aluminum hollow profile through which I made holes so it could be kept in place using the same screws and fittings on which the wings are attached for flight. That profile was then cutoff on top at just the right length so it would hit the ceiling before the fuselage could get squeezed when the bed is raised to the partial-up driving position. On the lower side it extends to the same level as the lower transverse wood frame around the bed, effectively resting against it to make it physically impossible for the fuselage to ever slide forward through the camper's windshield.

The only thing remaining is to slowly push the bed assembly back up (aided by strong original gas-springs) until the aluminum bar pushes against the rooftop. The bed now rests at an angle resulting in fuselage and wings to lie perfectly flat but without touching the rooftop above the couch. This slight down angle of the bed also prevents any of the loose parts to move backwards during the not so terrific acceleration of driving uphill. The central safety belt strap is then lifted from the bed and engaged into the buckle before tightened as you did with the lap-belts of 70's era cars. That belt also keeps both wings exactly on their spot during the travel. Most of the glider and all loose parts lay now hidden in the space above the drivers compartment.



A simple system with bolts into the roof and frame through that same aluminum profile also alleviates the forces on the original center strap (not yet illustrated). Both custom made racks together weigh a whopping 10kg. Add to that the 15kg of the glider parts (transported without batteries in place) and you get an idea of how inertia forces might want to move that bed up or down when hitting bumps on the road. Although the original 2-person mattress weighed about the same, the system never had been intended for travel in anything but the full up position with the gas springs helping it to stay up, the strap just being an additional safety but not having to cope with forces.

Looking up through the main entrance door you can clearly see how little space this immense glider takes in the camper. The disturbance during either driving or camping is minimal, I only lose the use of two small cabinets but still have the full benefits of the overhead opening window.



It took me 3 weeks of trial and error fitting to complete the transport/camping stowage of that immense glider but I doubt if anyone else could have found a better or more practical solution to the initial major problem of getting such large classic (and thus voluminous) gliders to (long duration) events. You don't need a degree in engineering if you have a good portion of ingenuity and dexterity to invent and realize unique (and therefore very self-satisfying) solutions. All the details of the restoration of that beautiful Ka2b glider can be found on my specific build log page https://www.rcgroups.com/forums/show....php?t=2726438