What to put in the field box?????
 

Hey guys,

My Senorita is almost done! I just need to finish the trim and put the stuff back on. I am wondering what I need in my field box. My dad made me a very nice and very BIG one for Christmas, so room (or lack of,) is not an option.

Heres what I know I need so far:
starter
glow pug starter
fuel
fuel pump
extra props
miscellaneous tools (any specific tools I need?)
that is all that I can think of.

What to put in the field box?????
 

"miscellaneous tools (any specific tools I need?)"

Get some screw drivers to fit fit every screw on your airplane, engine, and radio equipment.

Get allen wrenches for the same thing (wheel collars, engine mufflers, something for everything!)

Some small self-tapping screws are always good...

Get some packing tape or scotch tape in there for easy patches at the field.

It never hurts to keep some CA in there too!

What to put in the field box?????
 

Oh yeah!

Get a 4-way wrench that works on your glow plugs and prop nuts...Spare glow plugs are nice too.

Don't worry too much about having all of this stuff now. You can bet your isntructor will have most of it...You don't need it right away, but you will probably end up with a pretty big collection after a while... :)

What to put in the field box?????
 

Props, fuel, glow driver, starter, 4 way wrench, metric and imperial hex keys, flat and philips screw drivers (3 or 4 sizes), spare glow plugs, medium CA, 5 min epoxy, pointy nose pliers, race tape (100mph tape), rag, surface cleaner (kitchen, bathroom cleaner to get fuel gunk off), rubber bands, multi grips, zip ties, sun glasses, hat, sun screen.

What to put in the field box?????
 

1st Aid Kit :rolleyes:


Bad day here...don't ask.

EVERYTHING!
 

How about a few scrap pieces of balsa and plywood?



Oh, and a six-pack and a bucket of chicken.:spinnyeye

What to put in the field box?????
 

DITTO all the above.

What to put in the field box?????
 

Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm, chicken

What to put in the field box?????
 

I will bet that one day you are going to wish I put that %#%#$ what ever it is in.

Ditto to all the above.

What to put in the field box?????
 

Less is more. :) Because you're new your instructor will undoubtedly be making a lot of "adjustments" to your plane. For now you probably want all of the above and some stuff to do minor repairs.

But when you get better, get over it. It's really best to make any repair in your shop. It will be straighter, stronger, lighter and look better than field repairs. For now the most important thing is stick time and any trainer can take a beating and keep flying. So if it's a choice between flying and going home to repair, I say repair and fly.

What to put in the field box?????
 

I'd put everything but the kitchen sink in your field box. Take whatever you are comfortable lugging around and have room for. Here is some of the stuff I carry;

Spare props for each of my planes that I fly that day. Rationale: Nothing worse than breaking a prop on a bumpy landing and not being able to fly the rest of the day

Spare Glow plugs: Plugs only blow when you don't have a spare in your flight box.

Spare tire: Can't tell you how many times I or someone else at field has lost a wheel. I usually carry 2-3 tires, don't laugh, this has saved my %$^&* several times since we all know those cheap wheel collars are worthless.

Spare Wheel collars, servo horns, servo horn screws, CA glue, CA accelerator for field repairs, clear plastic tape for monocote covering repairs, spare clevises, assorted screws/nuts/bolts, 6-12 inches of fuel tubing, SPARE WING HOLDDOWN BOLTS, various washers

Couple of carb parts. I lost a needle valve and needle valve assembly off of my carb two weekends. I am glad I had spares from crashed engines in my flight box.

Manual and electric fuel pump. The manual pump is a backup if my electric fails or battery runs low. Electric fuel pumps (other than Sonictronic pump) are not known for longevity.

Spare glow driver. I recenctly had a glow driver fail on me and I was glad I had a spare. Glow driver soldered connection to center wire/plug came undone.

Field charger with charge leads

Tachometer

Spare fuel probe

Buddy cord

Spare antenna in radio case.

Important One: Spare Transmitter Fuse. For some reason, if I turn on my Transmitter right after a quick charge on a field charger, the fuse blows. If I wait a minute or so, it doesn't happend. Nothing worse than a blown fuse and no spare for transmitter.

#64 Rubber bands. Go to STAPLES and buy a pound of these for about 3 bucks. This is cheaper than a small box of bands from Hobby Store and you get about 4 times more.

Lead to fine tune the CG on a new airplane or replace lead that may have fallen off a fire wall.

Several Popsicle sticks: These are a lifesaver for field repairs.

Don't laugh but I carry a butane soldering iron and solder in my field box and some shrink tubing. I've helped not only myself but others at the field with electrical and mechanical soldering issues.

Handiwipes, great to clean fuel off of hands and/or wipe down airplanes after a days worth of flying when you realize you forget to bring cleaner and rags.

I carry a spare receiver crystal and transmitter module on another frequency. No need to worry about having waiting to fly because 2-3 other people are using the same channel.

Sunscreen--a must unless you don't mind sunspots and/or cancer when you age.

Foam padding/scraps. A million uses to place extra padding in fuel tank, prevent transmitter battery movement with stuffed padding, or replace padding in a fuse that may be soaked due to a fuel leak.

ZIPTIES- A million uses at field. Can act as a wheel collar, hold servo wires together, keep clevises from separating, secure stuff.

Spare 3 MM muffler bolts: TRUST ME, YOU WILL EVENTUALLY HAVE A MUFFLER BOLT VIBRATE OUT IN FLIGHT!

Tools: Hex wrenches (metric and standard), glow plug wrench, hobby knife or razor blades, diagonal cutters, mini screw driver set, adjustable wrench, etc...

Trash bag (aka, airplane body bag).

Optional Chain saw optional to cut down stuck airplanes.....

Optional 10 dollar, Walmart one-man inflatable raft to retrieve planes crashed into lakes/swamp/etc. :-)

What to put in the field box?????
 

bin liner

What to put in the field box?????
 

Spare car keys- Its a really bad feeling being the last one at the flying field and reaching into your pocket for your keys and......."hmmmm,, where are they?"

What to put in the field box?????
 

Hi!
IMHO, you don't need a lot of equipment. Apart from obvious things such as radio, plane, fuel and a glowplug battery you only a few things are necessary.

Nice things to bring along:

* A small first aid kit (just in case)
* Chicken stick to start your engine
* Spare prop (especially if you are a beginner)
* Spare glow plug
* Glow plug / Prop nut wrench
* Some extra fuel tubing
* Some tape (to repair cuts and bruises in the covering).
I have found that surgical tape sticks to almost anything (buy
at a pharmacy).
* Screwdrivers that fit the screws in your plane (usually 2 is
enough)
* Pliers (a flat nose is most useful)
* Some extra bolts, screws and nuts that fit your plane.

Note that I don't have any glue in my flight box. Any mishaps that involves the glueing of parts and/or require more tools and more spare parts than what I include in my field box are best repaired at home.

Good luck with your new aircraft!

/Red B.

What to put in the field box?????
 

I am a habitual locker like you. It is for this reason that I always fly with my truck windows down about 4 inches :D .

I agree with all of the above and double agree with the 1st aid kit. Even if you think you won't need it (which you will), someone else will. I hand out lots of band aids.

Even though I take enough stuff to the field to scratch build a plane like homebrewer, I've learned that there's a definite time to cut your losses, stop fixing, and take it home to the bench. If you find yourself doing an above normal amount of repairs, then it should be done properly at home on the bench. I've seen too many quick field fixes (including my own) come crashing down on the next flight. If things start to go really wrong, stop flying and take it home.

What to put in the field box?????
 

I like chicken! Never had beer though. (under age) I think a first aid kit is a good idea even though the field is some 20 feet from the nearest house. I am open to any more suggestions. Keep 'em coming. Thanks

What to put in the field box?????
 

GLOW PLUGS

What to put in the field box?????
 

An expended scale voltmeter (the kind that measures the battery under load). THAT will tell you when your flying day is done.

After run oil. A dish-rag or golf crying towel (won't scratch coverings and much nicer to wipe your hands on or cover the carb. in snow/rain). Insect repellant. Spare servo screws, bushings and grommets. A pen/pencil and notepad (when you get old your memory will fade). A finger prop balancer. A toothbrush or small soft-wire brush. A 3/32" or 5/64" finger drill.

A quarter or pre-paid phone card. A bottle of water (I helped a guy who shot himself in the eyes with fuel the first time he used his new electric fuel pump - and you might get thirsty, too).

What to put in the field box?????
 

Trash bags (you never know!!!) :( :eek:

What to put in the field box?????
 

It depends on what I'm doing. If I'm just putting around on a Sunday, I tend to take a "less is more" approach. If it's a contest day, or I'm working in my planes for a contest, I'm more likly to bring the shop with me. I have a second "repair box" that I take that has all the extra stuff in it.

You can reduce the amount of tools and parts you bring to the field by doing a solid pre-flight the night before heading to the field, and a careful post-flight when putting the plane back in the car. Check all those screws and joints and bits for looseness, it's amazing how many of them you can find before stuff falls off in the air.

A water bottle is important on hot days to avoid dehydration and in case someone gets dirt or fuel in the eyes or to clean out a cut.

I have a fast field charger I really like. Allows me to quickly put more juice back in the RX battery at the field. A bit pricy for someone new, but worth it. I've charnged more than one newbie's gear when he showed up with a badly charged pack. (I have an FMA Supernova 250, and there are a lot of newer options that are as good or better).

I try to have an adjustable wrench in the box all the time.

Paper towls. For clean up afterwards, and for all kinds of clean up during.

q-tips. Great for cleaning out an engine after planting it. Also good for getting all kinds of junk out of those hard to reach crevices. (I suppose most folks don't plant an engine then clean it out and go back to flying the same day, but it's pretty common in combat)

A plastic shopping bag for garbage, used rubber bands, oily paper towls and other bits of trash that seem to occur. I do think a full size garbage bag is a bit morbid :).

It's been said, but it's worth saying again, first aid kit.

What to put in the field box?????
 

Jumper cables for your transportation, After being at the field all day ???????????

What to put in the field box?????
 

About those car keys... most cars come with valet keys that will open the doors and start the engine but not open the trunk or glove compartment. I'm lucky enough that my valet ket is completely flat - not bulky at all with the black plastic of most car keys. Because of this, I've learned to put that key in my wallet. Countless times I forgot my keys in the ignition, and each time it's simply take out the wallet and open the door :)

try it if you have one of these keys, it's really useful!

What to put in the field box?????
 

I've never understood why people think you need an enormous field box.

You don't. Put what you need for starting/tuning in your field box. Put all minor repair items (bolts, glue, tape, tools) in a second toolbox and leave it in your car/truck/van/trailer. Your cleaning and charging equipment can go in either box. A first aid kit also goes in the second box.

This way you won't hit yourself over the head when a shot of CA will get you flying again, but you don't have to lug all of your crap to the flight line.

Also, don't bring balsa to the field. If it needs balsa to be fixed, you need to do it in the shop, and throughly examine the entire structure for damage.

What to put in the field box?????
 

I thought the war on terrorism got him already.

What to put in the field box?????
 

... and a 4 wheeler with a trailer to carry all of this to the flight line.