How to pack planes and things for a trip?

[prof_fate]

How do you pack up your planes if you have to go on a trip in the car with them?

My heli's are small and don't come apart so I have boxes for them. I have a tool box that holds the tx, tools, batts and such.
My champ will fit in the box it came in so that's a no brainer.

But my scratchbuilt plane? And more seriously, my 3D foamie that is delicate (I broke things while building it) and it doesn't come apart, and I have a pitts that if I really want to take it apart will will fit in the factory box but that seems excessively time consuming and risky (hey, every time you put a plane together you can forget something, right?)

I'm thinking boxing them like the champ, only bigger boxes, with foam interiors cut to hold the fuse. Would work for storage too I suppose, keeping the planes safe and dust free.

Ideas? What do you do?

[Grasshopper]

I made cardboard cubbies for mine when I drove 800 miles to SEFF. Worked really well.

[Bill G]

Originally Posted by prof_fate

How do you pack up your planes if you have to go on a trip in the car with them?

My heli's are small and don't come apart so I have boxes for them. I have a tool box that holds the tx, tools, batts and such.
My champ will fit in the box it came in so that's a no brainer.

But my scratchbuilt plane? And more seriously, my 3D foamie that is delicate (I broke things while building it) and it doesn't come apart, and I have a pitts that if I really want to take it apart will will fit in the factory box but that seems excessively time consuming and risky (hey, every time you put a plane together you can forget something, right?)

I'm thinking boxing them like the champ, only bigger boxes, with foam interiors cut to hold the fuse. Would work for storage too I suppose, keeping the planes safe and dust free.

Ideas? What do you do?

Buy a coach.
Seriously, I've learned the biggest problem is me, If I could just learn to slow down. I have this new rule now when I'm maneuvering planes into the car door, where I scream at myself saying, "Slowly, Slowly, SLOWLY now."

I agree that it is unreasonable to spend much time with disassembly and reassembly. (Come on spell check, you mean to tell me that you don't like "disassembly"! What else can't you spell? I tell you! ) Bad enough that I had to look up "maneuver" yet one more time. Anyway, I can't imagine what some of those large scale biplane folks go through, spending a few hours in that process. I barely have the patience to poke at an aileron cable several times to clear it from the wing saddle, when attaching a wing bolt.

Back on topic:

[crxmanpat]

Like this!

That's 16 planes plus field and camping equipment, all shoved into a 2-seat Honda CRX.

[Wildflyer]

I have 2 new epower gliders, the first one, an old Astro Challenger, I modified the elevator mounting, so that it is fastened by tiny screws into hard wood.
The second glider is a Sky Sergio 09 from Soaring USA, it comes totally apart, even the rudder comes off, only 5 screws total.

For both planes I have used a large double rifle case with custom fitted foam rubber to form compartments for the parts, and pieces.

Both of these could fall down a staircase without hurting the plane.

My Hobie Hawk of course has it's own styrofoam case, and I built a thin plywood case for another glider which has two sets of wings.

For my power planes, I have a stand made of 2x4's, it has a 32" square base and two posts about 8" apart in the center, there are holes drilled into those at a 15` downward angle that I can insert foam covered dowels, and the planes ride on their wings supported by the dowels, they do not ride up and fall off. This fits into the back of my truck.

I guess it sort of depends on how long a trip you are going to take, and what other things you want to put in the car also. I have seen people with those large streamlined cartop boxes all set up for their planes.