RE: Plane Storage
 

Vickman and pattternflyer1,

Those are impressive fleets.

How do you manage to keep the receiver battery packs charged and operational?

Bill

RE: Plane Storage
 

It's not easy.... I have realized that it is a little obsessive. The maintanance does take a lot of my time. I do try to put a charge in them all once a month. And cycle them every few months if I don't fly them. It's fun having so much to chose from but I find that I spend less and less time at the slope with my gliders, and more time taking out my pattern planes. The more I reply to this thread kinda makes me realize maybe I should sell some. Well maybe, lol

Chris

RE: Plane Storage
 

patternflyer1,

We are all just jealous of your hanger. Dont sell them!!!!

RE: Plane Storage
 

Chris,

I have used your method for the last five or six years and it just doesn’t seem to work for me. Every time I look at the airplanes something is not on charge that should be and something has been left on charge for days. In addition chargers and cables are everywhere and at least ten batteries need replacing.

I give up and intend to try a rotating battery or batteries scheme in the future for the airplanes that only get a few outings each year. It will require modifying many of the airplanes for easy interchange of batteries. In the future I will not be putting batteries under tanks or deep inside the fuselage to correct the CG. Some airplanes will need balance weight, some will need battery boxes and some will need hatches. Most will need cable routing clean up. The transmitters that only hold one model are being retired. What a mess.

Bill

RE: Plane Storage
 

Futaba 9Cap solves the one plane one Tx problem.;) I only have 5 batteries and move them from plane to plane as needed via velcro in an easy to reach spot. The other part of the solution is using NiMh batteries to minimize memory. How is that light working out for you?

RE: Plane Storage
 

Yeah, so do a lot of other transmitters[:-]. I have a bunch of old ones under the cabinet that I used to have gliders on. Now they're all on a stylus, well or two stylus's. Gotta have a backup radio ya kno, just in case ya have a problem with one. I actually got a stylus and a couple of planes when my brother passed. My hanger was decent before and now just a little too much I guess. I do have two anderson chargers that make charging anything that I still have nimh's in. I'm trying to goto duralite's and nmp li-ions in all my stuff. Then I don't have that drain problem with my batteries. Ya know, the easy one's to store are the larger ones. I am having a hard time storing my 3d depron type electrics. Anyone got good storage ideas for those?????????????

Thanks for the kind words about my hanger. I am quite proud of it and no one ever normally gets to see it.

Chris

RE: Plane Storage
 

You need to go count them :D im dying to know how many their are! :eek:

RE: Plane Storage
 

Pegboard and large hooks works for me.:)

RE: Plane Storage
 

Ok masta, well i went out and got a rough count. I have about 23 sailplanes. Half of which are complete, the other half mostly complete. I have 3 depron type foamy's. and lets see, ummmm, well, 17 glow and one gas plane. Of which about half are rtf. I have run out of room for them so I'm trying to figure out new ways to store them. I'm gonna work on it this weekend some. We'll see how far I get. When I figure it all out I'll post. How is anyone storing there big 33 % type planes? Any pics.

I'll take some pics of the charging stuff I keep them going with also. I'm going to remount it all if I get a chance this weekend. I dunno, gonna be a nice 3 day weekend here. Although around 100. I can deal with it to get in alot of flying though.

Good flying,

Chris

RE: Plane Storage
 

vicman,

It has taken a very long time (and many batteries) to understand and accept that a receiver battery for each airplane is foolish. You are correct the multi airplane transmitter solves half of the problem.

Since I am forever finding something that has been left on charge too long or not on charge when it should be I still use NiCad’s. Batteries that travel between airframes seem to be the only reasonable alternative.

The light allows more mistakes to be seen. Is that good or bad. Stop by when it is convenient and lunch is on me.

Thanks again.

Bill

RE: Plane Storage
 

Once day I moved the airplanes outside to cleanup. When they were moved back inside more space existed. Don’t know why.

A few of the fleet but more exist. I prefer never to count in order to preserve plausible deniability with the female. However she has never asked.

Bill

RE: Plane Storage
 

Lots of good ideas!
Here's how I do it. I have a wall hung storage unit which houses some wings and other items. The lower cabinets are inexpensive IKEA units. There are four planes hung from the ceiling, in two cases with bungee chords around them another two by built in u-bolts attached to the models. The plywood box on the floor contains a model and can actually become a work bench at the field.
Allan

RE: Plane Storage
 

BillS,

Your fleet is as impressive as patterflyers. Allenfowers, your storage ideas are awesome. I have gotten a lot of good ideas from this thread. I will have to take some pictures of my stored planes when i finally get organized.