What do you transport your plane to and from the field in? I have a Windstar van, and I guess it would be large enough to haul everything in the back, with the back seat removed.

Plane size would be the NexStar. I would assume you can remove the wings, and that would take up less space.

Taking the wing off for transportation is fairly standard. Just make sure that you arrange things so that if you slam on your brakes, your electric starter won't fly into your skull... or worse - through your wing.

I carry mine in the back of my F 150 pickup. Its a 2002 Supercrew so it has the real short bed which is a pain. I built a fuselage rack out of PVC that is basically a stand with two Y's on top to hold the fuselage. It serves a dual purpose so I can flip the fuselage over and screw the wings on the low wingers. For transport, I put it diagonally in the bed, and hold the fuselage in place with a couple of those stretch bands and I throw a big hunting sock full of sand on the base to keep it from sliding around. I carry my wings in the front but I just get them in anyway I can. Its pretty tough fitting my 80" kadet wing in there, but the shorter wings on the sport planes work ok. You Windstar is perfect! I would just be sure that things dont slide around and knock holes in the covering or break any balsa.

all good points. yeah just remember dont let anything slide around. "if your field box can move, it will move". i hope youre not this stupid but dont strap the plane and/or wing to the top of your car if it wont fit. not a good idea. my dad has a landcruiser so i put the plane in the back and all the stuff in the back seat. hey im 15 and i can wait till im 16 so i can drive!!!!! then i can go fly whenever i want

I've gone through several racks and finally decided to go all out. I found that as the planes got bigger (as they often do) they got harder to load and unload. Keeping things from moving is the most important consideration because no matter how carefully you drive someone always jams on the brakes in front of you. Here's a pic of my latest rack, it's a sliding tray (4 by 8 sheet of 3/4" plywood) with a sprayed on rhino lining. I tie everything down, but the rhino lining itself would keep most things from sliding and it protects against fuel spills, etc. The wing rack is just PVC wrapped with rubber pipe insulation. The whole thing travels on garage door track and rollers. I tried to build it to accomodate many types of models, but settled on a simple easily modified design. Probably overkill for your needs, but might come in handy down the road.

Ben

Here's an idea maybe. I've since modified it with a cross 'bar' between the top of the two holders. If you need an updated pic, let me know. I'll be happy to post one.

Ford Explorer

I have a standard "sedan" that usually goes to the field (Oldsmobile), and I can get three planes into it pretty easily. 80" Cub; fuselage goes in the trunk (with the flight box), wing ju-u-ust fits from dashboard to rear window; Super Sportster fuse in the back, nose on the floor, tail up towards the rear deck, wing beside it (or in the front seat); there's still room for a 54" Mustang stuck in there the same way as the Sportster. My small cooler with drinks and stuff fits on the floor in front.

As you can see, you shouldn't have any trouble with your Nexstar in a Minivan!
Dennis-

if I'm going to our local field with a few small planes then I just put them in the back set area[truck with extended cab] if I'm using the larger planes then I use the 8'x6' trailer,if I'm flying out of town for a couple of days then I use the 30' 5th wheel camper.

hey guys........i have a quest 90 that i'm flying now but next season i will roll out the 2M ship......i can just fit my quest in my moms jeep liberty and it isnt perdy.......how will i get my 2M ship in there? the quest is 63" long and thats the main problem i can fit the 72" wing in there cause its thin (on the 2M ship i will have plugin).........the quest goes from the back windo to right between the driver and pasanger seat.

I use the ONLY minivan out there, A Plymouth Voyager (I can hear the boo's and hises already). I worked for a mopar dealer for 17 years so I'm kinda biased. But your Windstar will do just peachy. They are a good van. I just fold down my rear seat and kinda put the pieces in there so they won't flop around. I put the flite boxes up against the seat in the back. Mine is a Grand version that is longer than the standard van. There is a lot of space behind the rear seat for goodies. I believe the windstar does not have a lot of room behind the rear seat. I suggest you put the flight gear in the middle between the center and front seats. Up against the front seats to keep them from sliding around. If you end up with a large wing, put it between the front seats to get the most from your interior space. I also suggest you get an old blanket and place the fuselage on it when transporting. It will protect the interior from fuel drippings I don't worry about it in mine ( I only paid 600.00$ for mine cause it would only go backwards, I rebuilt the transaxle and haven't looked back.). You Windstar will do you well. Have fun.

Mark Shuman

I carry all of my planes in my airplane trailer. I have built in wing racks and most of my planes can stay together for the transport. I also have a power strip and lights mounted. I pull up to the house run the drop chord to the strip and do most of my charging in there.

Well, if you look at the red car in the background of bdphil's picture, that is about the same size as my RX-7, which just barely accomadates my 67" P-47 Thunderbolt. I do have to take into consideration how big of an airplane I can buy, owning a "small" car. My friends say " just buy a trailer ". Yeah, and I'd probably be eating mac & cheese for the rest of my life, BUT I'd have some BIG airplanes.

Keep it simple until you find what works best for you. I took the shipping box for my Avistar, cut the top off - now it looks like a bathtub. Cut a slot in the end of the box so the prop and shaft slid down into. With the wings off the plane sits on it's gear held in place by the prop. I then cut verticle slots on each end of the box in the shape of the wing airfoil, then the wing sits in this cradle. I glued some foam to the box for the horizontal stab. I slid the box into a van, back of my truck etc.

i use my mustang for transporting my trainer..LOL,, the plane in the trunk and wings in the backseat.. just gotta be careful not to get fuel/oil on the leather...other than that all i have is a 02 honda cbr 600 sportbike and i dont think that will work

There's a guy in my club who drives a really nice little Mercedes. He just got an LT-40 and can't fit it in his car - even with the top down. LOL And I thought I had it bad with my Avenger.

I have a Plymouth Voyager as well, regular, not grand. As it is just me I remove both back seats and set the fuse onto of my field box and then the wing beside it, so far so good.

When I have my plane I use extra caution in where other traffic is so I won't have to slam on my breaks, but then using a SPAD, I don't have to worry about getting holes in my wings either (just on my other trainer).