airplane storage
 

I have three large airplanes now (and want more) and my wife is complaining about me taking up two small bedrooms with them. Any ideas on the best and CHEAPEST way to hang them in the garage? I've seen airplane hangers for sale for 30 bucks or more online but I don't want to spend that much for each plane. Any ideas? I live in Las Vegas and the garage gets to be about 130 degrees or more at times, is this safe for my planes?

Thanks for ideas.

RE: airplane storage
 

I use the shelf bracket method.
adjustable shelf standards with plumbers pipe insulation for padding then you can put them out of the way on the wall and adjust for whatever size you need.
depending on what planes I have in the rack a 4ft.section will hold 3-4 planes and wings.
one section by the T.V.next to one work area, the other one is over another building table.
just saw a posting about using hangars and pipe insulation looks like a pretty good idea to me also.

RE: airplane storage
 

Don't worry about the heat in the garage. I live in Oklahoma and the garages get plenty hot here too. It won't hurt the planes at all.

Ken

RE: airplane storage
 

BigTim, I was thinkin the same thing.. Now I know how it will work.. thanks

RE: airplane storage
 

Thanks for the ideas gang.

Is there a good way to hang from the ceiling each plane as well? I'm only asking because I have a two car garage in which we park two cars including my SUV for plane transportation. I'm considering the shelf method you said bigtim but my garage may not be big enough. I'm going to measure, it will be tight! I may only have the space inside the garage door opener and the back of the garage on the ceiling. Maybe I should post pictures. Thanks again bigtim.

RCKen is it ok to store fuel in the garage too. I have cool power 15% out there right now. I didn't notice any problems on the label. This is the first summer I'm going through since starting this hobby. Thanks RCKen.

RE: airplane storage
 

yup... i don't have a pic for ya now, but will take one if you like. i just found the studs in the ceiling, then put a couple eye screws in far enough apart to accomodate just about any plane. then i took some wire (electrical insulated type) and made a loop in the end. tied one end off good on they eye hook, and tied a loop into the other end. with a little measurement or trial and error method if you are hard headed like me, i got it so the length is just right. the wires allow me to hang the plane upside down with the wheels against the ceiling. then using the same eye screws and a couple lengths of longer wire, the wing hangs lengthwise right below the fuselage. i put it right next to my workbench (which i built rock solid out of 4X4's and 3/4" particle board) which works out well, i don't have to get the ladder out to get the plane down. i just jump up on the workbench and am just able to reach it to unhook it. I have visions of a whole garage ceiling full of planes in the near future.

like i said, if ya want a pic, just let me know. oh yeah, cheap? you bet, about 26 cents if i had to guess.

RE: airplane storage
 

Here is the left corner of my garage.[8D] Not too expensive and doesn't eat up much space. No issues with heat yet..even though its hot as he11 right now!:)

RE: airplane storage
 

I keep my fuel in the garage and have never had a problem with it. Just make sure you keep the bottles tightly sealed so they don't pick up moisture in them.

Ken

RE: airplane storage
 

I use my trailer for storage as well as transport. saves all that caring them in and out. Dennis

RE: airplane storage
 

What about in a car during an Alabama summer day? So far I've made sure I never had my planes in the car except when going directly between the field and my house, but it'd be more convenient sometimes not to have to do that. What's the wisdom here?



J

RE: airplane storage
 

Quarter inch soft iron rod (a few buck twenty footers) hand bend in a vice and plastic water hose.

RE: airplane storage
 

that's a pretty cool idea. i think i like it even better than my method. I make a lot of hydraulic lines for fullsize aircraft, I think i could make something like that out of some aluminum tubing that would be lighter (and best of all... free). might even be able to rig some kind of pulley or even an eye screw to anchor them to the ceiling so that all it would take is letting the rope go a bit and they would be delivered into your hands.

thanks for the idea.

RE: airplane storage
 

Here is how I store mine from the ceiling over the car and bicycle.

RE: airplane storage
 

Thanks for all the great ideas folks. I think I'm going to have to use the ceiling method even though I think the shelf method would be the easiest. John I like that rod method you have and it looks the simplest to hang from the ceiling. Unfortunately I don't have a vise or room for a workbench (maybe I should get a bigger house for this hobby). I might have to go with that pvc pipe method or find somekind of thick wire that I can bend with some pliers or vise grips.

Here's what I'm working with.

RE: airplane storage
 

Snacker,

My garage hasn't been that clean since about two days after I started moving in!! However, I do have about a 12' ceiling, so I have plenty of room overhead. I'll just have to make sure I cover them good to keep the sawdust out. My garage doubles as my woodshop and my '68 Mustang restoration shop.

--
Tom

RE: airplane storage
 

For whats its worth you really do not need the vice. Quarter inch soft iron rod can be easily bent by hand with no tools. But you will need a hacksaw to cut it to length.

John

RE: airplane storage
 

Tom,

That's why I've got to get these planes out of the bedrooms. Everything has to be organized and in it's place or else I hear about it till it's done. Planes have to make it to the garage soon or else I'm toast. LOL

Art

RE: airplane storage
 

John can you get that stuff at Lowes?

Thanks,
Art

RE: airplane storage
 

mebbe you ought to work on something to hang the wife with instead of the planes? just kidding. anyway, this is cool thread. keep the ideas coming guys.

RE: airplane storage
 

Never been to a Lowes. I just pick it up from a local place where they do wrought iron fencing.

John