Hello All,

I suppose I'm getting a bit ahead of myself asking these questions but what the hell.

1) To begin with, how do you guys deal with limited space in where to keep your aircraft? I have a condo and currently am keeping my first plane in there on the bed but this won't cut it if I add another plane down the road....and possibly more than that! My current plane is a .40 size trainer mind you and I would love to move up to a bigger size with more experience. Do you hang the wings on the wall and keep the fuselage on the floor? I have two cats and their curiosity with ANYTHING they can jump on can be a bit disastrous.

2) Where is a good place to purchase one of these aircraft "benches" that people use to work on their aircraft and how much would one run me?

3) Would would be a good beginning ARF to construct, installing the engine and so on? My trainer came practically put together but most ARF's do require SOME construction. I would like to find something that is relatively a challenge but not so difficult the first time out that I don't enjoy the process. On a side note...I would love to eventually put together a plane such as the ARF Stearman bi-planes from Great Planes but that might be a bit much first time out. Obviously some solid flying skills will also need to be established for such an aircraft as well. That particular plane has special meaning to myself that goes back to when I was a kid...

4) Lastly, have you guys out there ever done a custom graphic job on your planes and are there companies that do so? I work as a video editor and work some with photoshop and illustrator. I was curious to what you guys might have done.

Thanks in advance...the advice I get here is great.

Brad

i can give you short answers for 1 and 3...

1.) i keep my trainer in the bathroom on the sink. i know its not the best locale but it works for now since we live in a small apartment with 4 cats. perhaps you could hang it from the ceiling or something?

3.) if you already have a trainer, then a good low wing plane would be my suggestion for a second plane. my choice is the world models t-34. i've read great reviews on this plane and everyone seems to like it. Plus, its an ARF if thats what you are looking for. for a kit, i would suggest a sig 4-star 40 or 60.

Hope this helps and keep in mind.. i'm no expert by any means.

John

If you can get away with it hang the planes from the ceiling in the bedroom or what ever. That way the cats aren't as likely to get on them. When storing them in the house to keep peace and not drip fuel : Tear a small corner off a paper towel ( I use the blue shop towels ) and twist it into a plug that can be pushed into the muffler to soak up drips from it. ( make it big enough that it stands out so you won't forget to take it out before starting ) Then take a small length of tube (metal or plastic ) and put it in the fuel line and the muffler pressure line to make a closed circuit of the fuel tank when transporting or storing. Another hint: when taking your plane into the house or what ever, always take it in TAIL FIRST, if you don't I promise you that one day you will cuss a blue streak because you just ripped the tail off going through a door.
Another hint : the tube you use to go in the fuel line can be secured while flying ( so you don't loose it ) by cutting a small length of fuel tubing and screwing it to your flight box, then insert the tube in it while flying.
Small hooks ( from home depot ) in the ceiling and small twine around the plane does a good job and it doesn't make too big a mess. Hope this is of some use to ya. ENJOY !!!! RED

As for storing my planes, I built myself a simple rack with 2x4's and plywood. The planes and wings rest on metal pipes that are covered with foam pipe insulation. The pipes fit into holes in the vertical boards. The plywood 'feet' keep it stable when it's up against a wall. Since it's not attached to the wall, it can be easily moved. Here's a pic:

And as for the aircraft work benches, I have seen them advertised in Radio Controlled Modeller (RCM) and Model Airplane News. Or you could get one of those portable, folding workbenches at the hardware store.

For a good second plane ARF, look at the Goldberg Tiger 2 or the Sig 4-Star 40. They're both easy to build and fly.