The attached photo is the Australian HMAS Seaford. It is a magnificant deck. I know you are looking for a simpler approach but since you are not familiar with Carrier I thought it would help your understanding. The club web site < http://clamf.aerosports.net.au/ > has a nice series of photos showing the deck construction.

Carefully read the AMA Rules for Carrier. The deck is spelled out in detail as far as finished dimensions are concerned. You can find it on the AMA website.

For what is is worth, our club hosted contests for many years using a deck painted on one of our asphalt circles. The arresting gear was a series of  simple lag bolt eyes fitted into pipes driven through the pavement.

Thanks guys, keep 'em comming. I hear the wheels turning.
Nice flying decks, This is gonna be fun. Are there weight bags on both sides of the cords. What and how much weight is each bag?
I will go to the AMA Site to look for info too.
T

The deck plan shown in the AMA Rule Book is ideal.  Flush decks and those lower than the one in The Rule Book make takeoff and landing somewhat less than intended.  A deck made of plywood and 2x4's has some give to it and is not as abrasive as a deck layed out on pavement.

Of course the downside of a regulation deck the weight and bulk to transport and store.  Back in my days in Wichita, they had a regulation deck that they just left out at the field forever.  Only the bags and ropes were stored.  Some wood got rotten and had to be replaced, but still easier that hauling it back and forth on a trailer.

Thanks guys, I will have a look at the two mentioned files. I found out today that there are 6 or seven of us that are gonna try it for fun next year. Bob Reeves in Tulsa and 3 others there are gonna give it a run.... Sounds like FUN !
Terry

Terry, If you do get it off the ground (no pun in tended) count on me for a couple of prizes.  Perhaps a kit or a couple of 3-line beginner handles.
Joe

And it kept moving!

Let's see if this works.

Here's a couple of pictures of the Phoenix deck. I had to resize them smaller so if you would like full sized pictures let me know.

Thanks for the detail shots. Now I can start doing a cost estimate. If you have anymore pictures let them fly.
Thanks
Wayne

The major difference is that you have one fewer panel to build, store, move, set-up and tear down.  Before the '11 panel' deck was legalized, the deck had to be 44 feet long at the centerline - you had to buy 12 (13 actually) sheets of plywood (or whatever) and cut off the equivalent of almost one whole sheet and throw it away.  When the 'carrier deck, lite' designs came into being, a rules change made it possible to build a deck from 11 sheets so that they became even 'lite-r' - by making the outer radius 44 feet, rather than the centerline.

Believe me when I tell you, if you don't have a dedicated garage space or shed space to store the deck (Preferably stored on its trailer) it will at some point and at certain times of the year become a major PITA for someone in the club to store and/or move back and forth to the flying site.  If it's built with 2 x 4's and plywood, each section will be well over 100 lbs and the stack will be about 5' tall, 8 feel long and 4 feet wide.

We built our deck (in spring 2000) from 1/2" OSB and 2 x 2's - each section weighs about 65 lb., and the stack is about 24" tall.  For the first few years, it resided in the back of my garage and I transported it in my small pickup truck (Chevy S-10).  One of the club members donated a trailer and now it resides permanently on the trailer, but the trailer has to sit out in the open and we replace plastic tarps and plastic sheathing and pay a license fee every year.  I CAN, if I have to, unload it and re-load it on the trailer by myself and then I'm really glad it is 11 sections, rather than 12.  If I had thought about something even closer to the ground, I would have tried to use it.  I can't think of any incident or flight that has ever happened where a 4" high deck would have been superior or preferable.

Finally, we spent probably a bit over $200 for our 11 sections plus 'protective ramp' - Plywood and 2 x 4's would have cost 3 times that, easily.  I would be interested to know what the cost of building a deck is today - especially using the metal studs that have been described elsewhere.  I know that OSB has more than doubled in price and I assume that plywood has also.

Here's a couple more photos.

There is about a 6" wooden block, inside the metal studs, at each corner, you can see it if you look carefully. I think that just stiffens the corners a bit.

The rope guides (the aluminum brackets that stick up and guide the ropes) may or may not be the best thing but they work and are quick to rig. You need someone to fabricate them though. I have seen screw in eyelets used a lot too.

The panels are plywood but OSB may work better and might be cheaper, I don't know.

You need a good finish to withstand fuel and weather. Some kind of epoxy finish comes to mind.

The trailer is just visible in the background. The deck fits well and there is a box on the back for the sandbags.

Hope this helps.

I think this will work, any shots of the underside would be appreciated.
Thanks
Wayne