We have got to be twins!!! My flying mates call me a rolling hobby shop. I bet you get accused of the same thing, but most of the time, have what is needed to help a friend out of a bind. I carry little plastic divided boxes with the most common nuts, bolts, washers, spare clevis's, tubing, wire, servo extensions and so forth.
I have filled up a Goldberg Monster Tote. This box has a 25amp wet cell 12V motorcyle battery and Hobbico deluxe power panel. Next to it is a Sullivan dynatron starter, with all the different cones in a drawer near by. On the side is a add-0n tray that carries screwdrivers, crescent wrenches, reams, four way wrenches and allen drivers. I also carry a frequency scanner, radio scanner (we fly at a couple of active runways), tachometer, DVM, two smart chargers, one Peak large battery quick charger, Triton charger, all the necessary pigtails and wires to go with these and all the stuff listed above by my "twins". Yes, this all fits in the numerous drawers of the Monster tote, which easily weighs over 40 pounds. One the opposite end of the Power Panel is a gallon fuel can with a Sullivan electric pump. I fly larger glow engines so need this pump to fill up fast.
On some occasions, I carry a two gallon can of gas mix and gas plane parafenelia. A fire extinquisher is firmly mounted in the rear of the Voyager Van.
I also require another very large plastic tool box large enough to carry spare props, more tools and so on. The front of this box has fold out trays for more nuts, bolts, and extra stuff you might need in the next year or so, just in case. Inside are special little tool boxes with speed drivers, adapters for all the allen and small sockets and another full SAE/Metric allen wrench set and many other tools you may come across in this hobby.
I was in the Navy for over 25 years, and it became a habit to have spare parts for almost everything, just in case you broke down.
I also carry several rechargable (car jumper type) battery packs for charging batteries and starting engines. And a garden tractor 235 amp 12V battery for serious engine starting requirements.
Now if I can just remember to bring all the wings, wing tubes, canopies and everything else to have a complete airplane to fly, life would be great. I usually take at least two or three planes to the field, just incase something breaks, fails or I forgot an important piece of one.
See some of us really are OCD about this hobby, aren't we!!! But many times we are flying more than an hours drive from home!!
And Ken, Murphy was an optimist, compared to me!!!
Mike Boyd
AMA 7197
ORIGINAL: RCKen
ORIGINAL: piper_chuck
Waterless hand cleaner (I'm not crazy about sliming up the steering wheel on the way home)
I guess I'm just cheap. As a hand cleaner I just use a quick squirt of what I use to clean my planes with (windshield washer fluid with a little Dawn dishwashing liquid in it) and wipe my hands with a paper towel.
As far as the flight line goes I actually have two boxes now. One box goes to the flight line and the other stays in my truck. The flight line box has wheels on it so I don't have to carry it out there and it has just what I need at the flight line: Fuel, fuel pump, overflow catch bottle, battery for electric starter, electric starter, chicken stick, tie down stakes and rope, tachometer, and a quick charger. The box that stays in the truck has a very basic set of tools and a few small parts. I take just the basics of tools to the field because I hate doing field repairs. I've seen guys bring enough tools to the field to build a plane from scratch but not me, if I can't fix it in just a few minutes I will take it back to the house and repair it in the shop. Basic tools include several box end wrenches for props, metric and SAE allen wrenches, screwdriver with several tips, pliers, needle nose, dikes, glow plug wrench, assortment of spare props, 5 minute epoxy, small bottle of CA, and packing tape. The packing tape is probably the most important thing in the tool box. Use it to make quick and easy repairs on monokote that is torn or broken.
Like I said, if it's not an easy fix I will do it at home. But I only live a 5-10 minute drive away from the field, so it's not a biggie to run back home and get another plane. On that note I'm a firm believer in Murphy, I always bring at least 2 planes to the field to fly with. Doing that keeps from having a flying day ruined by a plane that is damaged or out of commission. Some days I've been known to take 4 planes to the field, and I'll spend almost every minute on the flight line with a plane in the air. The only bad thing about that is the amount of fuel I burn!!
It's nothing for me to burn a gallon of fuel, or more, in a weekend.
That my 2 cents worth.
Ken