Shipping Large planes!!
12-22-2005, 07:08 PM
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Shipping Large planes!!
Has anyone had any experiences shipping a large plane,(precedent t240)?I need help in finding a shipper for this airplane for a member of the rc group!I have called UPS and some local shipping outfits,but no luck!UPS wanted 350.00 to ship.Dimensions are approx 76"x20"x23" and under 15 LBS! I have been told that bus services like greyhound are an option,but... How about anyone in the chicago/so.suburbs--anyone ship something this large?I am even having trouble locating a box! Thanks Jim
12-22-2005, 10:16 PM
#2
RE: Shipping Large planes!!
You'll have to buld a crate from 1x2 pine and 1/8" birch plywood. Use deck screws and liquid nails to assemble it all.
Buy some 2" thick styrofoam from Home Depot or Lowes. Use this to build cross pieces inside the crate and hack the foam out to "cradle" the airplane.
It's a total pain in the butt to bother with shipping built airplanes. Thats why I don't do it anymore. A kit or NIB ARF is easy to do--but a built airframe is just to big to ship in a box. You need a crate.
GreyHound Bus will ship it--and they do a pretty decent job. You have to deliver it to the terminal and your purchaser has to pick it up at the terminal.
UPS and FedEx are too expensive. UPS breaks stuff all the time--even wooden crates with 1x2 reinforcment all over. I tried to ship a 40 size Ultimate bipe in a wooden crate. The thing weighed 50 pounds. With an airplane that weighed 6 pounds--that gives you an idea of how strong my box was. 44 pounds of plywood and 1x2 is a pretty stout box for a 40 size plane. It arrived in toothpicks. Luckily it was insured for twice what it was worth. The buyer made out pretty good on the deal--but he was still disappointed because he wanted a plane he could fly--not dump into the trashcan.
If it's really big--put some 4x4 blocks on the bottom of the crate so that it can be handled with a forklift and ship it with Forward Air freight truck.
Good luck. I'll bet that if you actually do it once--you'll never want to do it again. I didn't. But, it took me about 5 or 6 planes to finally swear-off shipping built airplanes. Just not worth the trouble.
Buy some 2" thick styrofoam from Home Depot or Lowes. Use this to build cross pieces inside the crate and hack the foam out to "cradle" the airplane.
It's a total pain in the butt to bother with shipping built airplanes. Thats why I don't do it anymore. A kit or NIB ARF is easy to do--but a built airframe is just to big to ship in a box. You need a crate.
GreyHound Bus will ship it--and they do a pretty decent job. You have to deliver it to the terminal and your purchaser has to pick it up at the terminal.
UPS and FedEx are too expensive. UPS breaks stuff all the time--even wooden crates with 1x2 reinforcment all over. I tried to ship a 40 size Ultimate bipe in a wooden crate. The thing weighed 50 pounds. With an airplane that weighed 6 pounds--that gives you an idea of how strong my box was. 44 pounds of plywood and 1x2 is a pretty stout box for a 40 size plane. It arrived in toothpicks. Luckily it was insured for twice what it was worth. The buyer made out pretty good on the deal--but he was still disappointed because he wanted a plane he could fly--not dump into the trashcan.
If it's really big--put some 4x4 blocks on the bottom of the crate so that it can be handled with a forklift and ship it with Forward Air freight truck.
Good luck. I'll bet that if you actually do it once--you'll never want to do it again. I didn't. But, it took me about 5 or 6 planes to finally swear-off shipping built airplanes. Just not worth the trouble.
12-22-2005, 10:48 PM
#3
RE: Shipping Large planes!!
My big WM 80" Giant Zero arrived in a big wooden crate made out of 1/4" ply. The seller did a great job of securing the plane and wing inside the crate. The plane was ship via Forward Air, but Greyhound can do just as good of a job because I received two other planes via Greyhound without any problems. Both of these carriers are relatively inexpensive compared to other places. You want to use wood screws on the lid to make it easier to remove it later and glue the sides of the crate together (also use either nails or wood screws on the sides).
12-23-2005, 10:05 AM
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RE: Shipping Large planes!!
Thanks guys for the reply.The pictures are great!!I think this is what I am going to do!I want the plane to arrive in one piece,so that he can enjoy flying !! I guess my after christmas venture starts with a trip to menards!!Thanks again for the input,and you guys have a great christmas,and I hope Santa puts an extra plane or two under the tree!!! Jim
12-23-2005, 10:40 AM
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RE: Shipping Large planes!!
FLYON:::;
MERRY FREAKING CHRISTAMS. You just tweeked my holiday spirit. I thought the NIGHTMARE was gone but then I read your shipping post. EVERYBODY---I MEAN EVERYBODY OUT THERE...... DO NOT USE DHL. If you want the worst 2 year long night mare then go ahead and use them. I shipped a plane in a box measuring in the area of 6 feet by 3 feet by 2 feet WITH INSURANCE. When the guy received it (he had to pick it up at DHL), he told me he could ready the word GOODYEAR on a piece of wood from a tire track. DHL refused to pay the insurance because they said they didnt do it. This was a 2 year nightmare and still received no insurance. They said it must have been that was when I sent it. DHL picked it up at my house and I signed a form that said it was not damaged prior to leaving my house. Oddly enough that piece of paper came up missing from the shipping papers and my copy they said was forged. So I went to see our cities attourny and he told me that NO shipping company has to pay insurance if it is damaged its just a way to get money from you. In the end the plane was destroyed.
OK I vented I feel a little better.
I have heard good words about Greyhound, however when I checked they said that there is no insurance to purchase. However it gets put on a bus then it arrives and taken off a bus. not to much handling in transit.
MERRY FREAKING CHRISTAMS. You just tweeked my holiday spirit. I thought the NIGHTMARE was gone but then I read your shipping post. EVERYBODY---I MEAN EVERYBODY OUT THERE...... DO NOT USE DHL. If you want the worst 2 year long night mare then go ahead and use them. I shipped a plane in a box measuring in the area of 6 feet by 3 feet by 2 feet WITH INSURANCE. When the guy received it (he had to pick it up at DHL), he told me he could ready the word GOODYEAR on a piece of wood from a tire track. DHL refused to pay the insurance because they said they didnt do it. This was a 2 year nightmare and still received no insurance. They said it must have been that was when I sent it. DHL picked it up at my house and I signed a form that said it was not damaged prior to leaving my house. Oddly enough that piece of paper came up missing from the shipping papers and my copy they said was forged. So I went to see our cities attourny and he told me that NO shipping company has to pay insurance if it is damaged its just a way to get money from you. In the end the plane was destroyed.
OK I vented I feel a little better.
I have heard good words about Greyhound, however when I checked they said that there is no insurance to purchase. However it gets put on a bus then it arrives and taken off a bus. not to much handling in transit.
12-24-2005, 12:38 PM
#9
RE: Shipping Large planes!!
Here's a crate that I built to ship an 80" Midwest Extra to Ohio. Forward Air was the shipper. It arrived safely. Cost me $160 to ship it. Cost me $100 to build it.
Did I get $260 from the buyer to cover the cost of the crate and the shipping? NOOOOOOO. Thats why I don't think it's worth crating and shipping planes anymore. Maybe if it's a $5000 Carden, but not for a $500 airframe.
The box sides, top and bottom are 1/8" birch plywood. The frame is 1x2 pine. I used liquid nails and 1.25" deck screws to assemble it.
You build the bottom and sides first. Leave one end open for easy access.
Use the 2" foam board to sandwich the plane. NO PART of the plane should touch the box--NEVER!!. You want the plane totally suspended inside the foam cradle. NOT EVEN the LG should touch the bottom. If any part of the plane touches the box and it gets slammed with a forklift or even dropped--then your plane is toast. You want the foam board to transfer the loads all the way around the plane and through the box too the other side of the box.
Use 1x2 cross braces to keep the foam sandwiched down and held in place. Screw them through the sides.
Once the entire plane is in the box--put the last end piece on. Use liquid nails on everything EXCEPT the TOP.
Put the top on last and don't use liquid nails. Your buyer will need to remove the top at the shipping dock when he recieves the crate. Tell your buyer to take a cordless screw gun with him and a #2 phillips bit for the screw gun. He should take the top off and inspect it before signing for it.
It helps if you put 2 blocks on the bottom so that it can be handled with a forklift. They need to be 4" tall so that a forklift can drive right up to it and pick it up. 2" blocks aren't high enough.
Paint the following on the box. Use arows to indicate which side is the top.
FRAGILE AIRCRAFT PARTS
THIS END UP
TOP
BOTTOM--TURN IT OVER QUICK!!!
FRAGILE
AIRCRAFT PARTS
TOP FREIGHT ONLY
DO NOT BOTTOM LOAD
Top Freight Only is a sign to the shipper that the crate should only be placed on the top of a load--never on the bottom.
Do Not Bottom Load is a sign to the shipper that the crate should not be placed on the bottom of a truck and then a bunch of stuff stacked on top of it. (same as Top Load Only)
Don't put "Model Airplane" on it. Thats a huge NO-NO!! Gauranteed to get it broken.
Did I get $260 from the buyer to cover the cost of the crate and the shipping? NOOOOOOO. Thats why I don't think it's worth crating and shipping planes anymore. Maybe if it's a $5000 Carden, but not for a $500 airframe.
The box sides, top and bottom are 1/8" birch plywood. The frame is 1x2 pine. I used liquid nails and 1.25" deck screws to assemble it.
You build the bottom and sides first. Leave one end open for easy access.
Use the 2" foam board to sandwich the plane. NO PART of the plane should touch the box--NEVER!!. You want the plane totally suspended inside the foam cradle. NOT EVEN the LG should touch the bottom. If any part of the plane touches the box and it gets slammed with a forklift or even dropped--then your plane is toast. You want the foam board to transfer the loads all the way around the plane and through the box too the other side of the box.
Use 1x2 cross braces to keep the foam sandwiched down and held in place. Screw them through the sides.
Once the entire plane is in the box--put the last end piece on. Use liquid nails on everything EXCEPT the TOP.
Put the top on last and don't use liquid nails. Your buyer will need to remove the top at the shipping dock when he recieves the crate. Tell your buyer to take a cordless screw gun with him and a #2 phillips bit for the screw gun. He should take the top off and inspect it before signing for it.
It helps if you put 2 blocks on the bottom so that it can be handled with a forklift. They need to be 4" tall so that a forklift can drive right up to it and pick it up. 2" blocks aren't high enough.
Paint the following on the box. Use arows to indicate which side is the top.
FRAGILE AIRCRAFT PARTS
THIS END UP
TOP
BOTTOM--TURN IT OVER QUICK!!!
FRAGILE
AIRCRAFT PARTS
TOP FREIGHT ONLY
DO NOT BOTTOM LOAD
Top Freight Only is a sign to the shipper that the crate should only be placed on the top of a load--never on the bottom.
Do Not Bottom Load is a sign to the shipper that the crate should not be placed on the bottom of a truck and then a bunch of stuff stacked on top of it. (same as Top Load Only)
Don't put "Model Airplane" on it. Thats a huge NO-NO!! Gauranteed to get it broken.
12-31-2005, 08:15 PM
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RE: Shipping Large planes!!
Guys
At the risk of raising some eyebrows, if your wing is less than 84", you can ship 1/4 - 1/3 scale airframes for less than $75 via Greyhound, and are actually much better off not building a crate.
I've bought and rcvd 11 planes this way via greyhound, and the only two that were damaged was one using a crate, that transmitted shipping shock to the airframe, and the other using cheap cardboard scraps and peanuts with no internal support for the airframe.
Here's how to do it right using a GP Gene Soucy Extra with 77" single wing as an example -
1. Get one HD Uhaul Garment box, and another shorter box of same or slight larger width and depth
2. Remove landing gear, and wrap wings, gear, and Fuse/tail section separately in bubble wrap.
3. Put a layer of crushed newspaper in the bottom of the garment box. Stick the fuse nose down and wing in the box.
4. fill up the voids with crushed newspaper, so that nothing touches each other or the sides of the box. Put the gear on top and tape to the side. Pack it in tight, so that nothing can move around during shipping.
5. lift the top flaps up, and tape all around. Put the other box over the top and tape it down.
You now have a boxed up, very light weight package that meets Greyhounds 84" limit, and will easily survive their shipping.
The cardboard box and crushed newspaper will not transmit shipping shocks to the airframe.
Don't use styrofoam peanuts, as they provide no stabilization for the airframe. They are also an amazingly royal pain in the ass to clean up if your on the rcving end.
This is much easier than building a crate and for the typical $300 - $500 airframe is the only way to go.
Only bummer is that GH won't insure anything more than $300, so this would be financially risky for a high $ composite ARF.
At the risk of raising some eyebrows, if your wing is less than 84", you can ship 1/4 - 1/3 scale airframes for less than $75 via Greyhound, and are actually much better off not building a crate.
I've bought and rcvd 11 planes this way via greyhound, and the only two that were damaged was one using a crate, that transmitted shipping shock to the airframe, and the other using cheap cardboard scraps and peanuts with no internal support for the airframe.
Here's how to do it right using a GP Gene Soucy Extra with 77" single wing as an example -
1. Get one HD Uhaul Garment box, and another shorter box of same or slight larger width and depth
2. Remove landing gear, and wrap wings, gear, and Fuse/tail section separately in bubble wrap.
3. Put a layer of crushed newspaper in the bottom of the garment box. Stick the fuse nose down and wing in the box.
4. fill up the voids with crushed newspaper, so that nothing touches each other or the sides of the box. Put the gear on top and tape to the side. Pack it in tight, so that nothing can move around during shipping.
5. lift the top flaps up, and tape all around. Put the other box over the top and tape it down.
You now have a boxed up, very light weight package that meets Greyhounds 84" limit, and will easily survive their shipping.
The cardboard box and crushed newspaper will not transmit shipping shocks to the airframe.
Don't use styrofoam peanuts, as they provide no stabilization for the airframe. They are also an amazingly royal pain in the ass to clean up if your on the rcving end.
This is much easier than building a crate and for the typical $300 - $500 airframe is the only way to go.
Only bummer is that GH won't insure anything more than $300, so this would be financially risky for a high $ composite ARF.
12-31-2005, 08:28 PM
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RE: Shipping Large planes!!
Just a follow on note -
I meant to say that I've shipped and rcvd 11 planes vs rcvd 11 planes.
also -
Rcpilet 's pictures and crate building description are excellent for larger planes, and his point about nothing touching the sides of the box are key.
If you decide to use the Styrofoam former route, just be carefull to make the crate or box big enough to leave plenty of distance between the sides and the plane. I had a plane packed like this, but the 1" styrofoam former aroung the fuse was only about 7 " from the box. Box got dented and the dent went all the way thru and broke the turtle deck of the plane.
I meant to say that I've shipped and rcvd 11 planes vs rcvd 11 planes.
also -
Rcpilet 's pictures and crate building description are excellent for larger planes, and his point about nothing touching the sides of the box are key.
If you decide to use the Styrofoam former route, just be carefull to make the crate or box big enough to leave plenty of distance between the sides and the plane. I had a plane packed like this, but the 1" styrofoam former aroung the fuse was only about 7 " from the box. Box got dented and the dent went all the way thru and broke the turtle deck of the plane.
01-20-2006, 10:11 PM
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RE: Shipping Large planes!!
Another problem is that according to GH on their web site it states that the maximum box size is 30"x47"x82". I am going through this now with a Ryan STA that I purchased on line from a great person in Colorado. The plane is assembled with a wing span of 82" which means that he will have to use a box 47" wide and place the wing at opposite corners for it to fit including padding. The distance from the tail wheel to the top of the stab is 20" so with a box that is 30" deep you have to place a 13" wide wing plus have enough room to place the fuse with the 20" stab. The price is a little over $50.00 to ship to PA. but I will hold my breath to see if everything is OK...if not I will have to repair the damage.
