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General control line discussion => Open Forum => Topic started by: frank mccune on September 16, 2018, 05:59:19 PM
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Hello All:
My Mate and I have come to the conclusion that it is past time that we stop hauling around so much flight gear. We have multiple boxes, tool boxes, milk cartons etc. to carry to and from our flying sessions.
I know that Combat fliers have small boards that have fuel, props, glow igniter, plugs and perhaps a set of lines attached to a board. We have been "hoarding" stuff that we will very seldom need whenever flying. A friend of mine only carries a glow igniter and a glove. He gets one flip starts everytime!
Let's hear about what you carry for flying. KISS! Some photos would also be great!
Be well,
Frank McCune
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Hiya Frank,
There are obviously different ways to approach the flight gear issue. and Ill give a few.
My dad built a starter/flight box out of 1/8" lauan plywood. It holds a 12v battery that powers a power panel for glow ignitor and starter. It also has a top deck for tach, fuel syringe and other stuff needed to get a model started, and a pull-out drawer for basic tools, enough to tighten props, change glow plugs, and so on. Any maintenance heavier than that should be done off the field. The box is only about a cubic foot in size, so its small and light. He also has boxes for handles, props, and other tools, spare parts and so on. All of those don't necessarily need to leave the car but theyre there if needed.
I am a minimalist; I have one box and a milk crate for fuel. My box carries a few spare parts for the few models I fly, handles for those models, tools and flight equipment. I go out to the circle with a small ignitor, tach and syringe.
My best advise, because it sounds like you are looking to consolidate, is build your own box. Determine what all needs to go in it, and what functionalities it needs to perform. Then draw it out on a large piece of paper or on the back of some old plans. By making your own, it can be, hold, and do whatever you want.
I just finished building a storage and transport box for my FF gliders. Due to the shape of the models and how they break down, the box would have a lot of unused space in them, which would be kind of wasteful. I also needed a dedicated tool/equipment box, as I was doing the same thing that you described with cardboard boxes and such. What I came up with effectively kills two birds with one stone. It is also 1/8" lauan with 3/4" square pine frame. The drawers are big enough to hold everything: tools, spare parts, flight equipment, CA, epoxy, and room for much more if I need it. It is also modular and not really made for any particular type of model, so it will hold anything I build under 1m wingspan. I'm sharing this as an example. Your imagination is the limit!
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I got tired of back n forth trips to the truck to get everything. I was using a Hanger 9 flight box that weighed a ton and couldnt hold everything.
So I gave it to my dad and bought me a 3 piece Stanley Toolbox that rolls.
Holds 2 cans of fuel on bottom. Middle holds all hand tools, packin tape, tach ,etc. Top holds prop box, small utility boxes with spare motor parts, nuts, washers, bolts. And I got a cool little "sandwich" cooler bag from the Dallas Club that holds my lines amd handles with a shoulder strap that hangs on the extended handle i pull the box with.
Ill get some pics when I get home.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
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A plan you could adapt to your own needs. One drawer, no top rack, battery exposed with power panel on back is how I built mine.
G
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Pics of my box
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180917/34a74e04a0256b233887c981cc353ab2.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180917/12964a75abc65593468241001ae09db3.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180917/a6943fd48adff3b673d6451abb8d06f2.jpg)
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180917/77322c3d110bdc5b4750d5f27d3c78f3.jpg)(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180917/d5170e93a021fdd38e6e0309bdd0a28f.jpg)
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Some of the locals have been switching over to soft sided tool totes. Huge variety to choose from. [url]https://www.amazon.com/s/ref=sr_pg_2?rh=i%3Aaps%2Ck%3Atool+tote&page=2&keywords=tool+tote&ie=UTF8&qid=1537224941[/url
Check out HF, too.
Norm
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Check out the fishing tackle boxes at Cabela's and Bass Pro.
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Show up at the field with a starting glove, lines, fuel and igniter. If you need more than that, ask fellow pilots if they have what you need.
Steve Helmick can attest to the effectiveness of this system (and thanks, Steve, for the loan of the wrench last Sunday).