How do ya'll carry your plane in the back ?
 

I have been carrying my planes in the cab of my truck.
Well I was just thinking about building a "rack" to secure them in the bed of my truck to carry them to the field.
Has anyone done this?
Pictures anyone?

RE: How do ya'll carry your plane in the back ?
 

I built a box to carry my airplane, flight box and a small tool box, I too have a pick-up truck. I sized two 4x4s to allow spacing between the front of my bed and the box to prevent wing tip damage. I use a motorcycle strap to secure the box. Since I have not yet figured out to post pix, email me I will send you some pix.
-Tom

RE: How do ya'll carry your plane in the back ?
 

My airplane hauler serves as a work truck during the day so I need something not hard mounted and easy in easy out. I’ll try to describe what I did sorry I don’t have any pictures.

Used a 4'x4' piece of plywood and secured on it some upright pieces of small ply cut into a U shape as a cradles for a fuselage, lined with foam of course. For the wings I use two 2x2 about one foot long secured to the ply parallel to each other about 3’ apart. In these I drilled holes to accept ½” diameter pieces of metal electrical conduit, wrapped in pipe insulation these hold the wings upright the same way you see glass shops transport automotive windshields in the back of pickup trucks. I also used a couple small L brackets mounted to the ply to catch the back lip of the bed to keep the whole unit from sliding forward while driving.

When I’m ready to load or unload airplanes I just pull the whole unit back to sit on the open gate and I have easy access to everything. I have it set up to carry two airplanes, could probably do more with some fancy engineering but don’t need to.

RE: How do ya'll carry your plane in the back ?
 

i built a pvc rack to hold my plane and the wing

RE: How do ya'll carry your plane in the back ?
 

I did the PVC thing, and held it down with bolts onto a pallet, and put a tarp over it. I gave back the company truck (my idea) and so I have a rack for an LT-40 I'll probably never use again. Maybe if I see a student with a truck and an LT, I'll find a home for it.

-Jeff

RE: How do ya'll carry your plane in the back ?
 

This is what I do. Works good for .60 sized. But for 1.20 and bigger, they sit on the wheels or a cradle and the wings lay on pvc strung from side to side on foam pipe insulation.
Edwin

RE: How do ya'll carry your plane in the back ?
 

Here's mine. It's almost as long as the bed of my truck, so it doesn't move aound.

RE: How do ya'll carry your plane in the back ?
 

I use the heap method... heaviest stuff on the bottom...
With the PT-19, when I remove the tail I can get two Kadet Seniors in the Mazda
And two assembled fun-flies..
Smaller planes like gliders and electrics.. 6 to 10..
For a Kadet fly-in, I rented a van... there's 11 planes in there! :)

RE: How do ya'll carry your plane in the back ?
 

Im loving the heap method:D:D

Do you just fly the planes straight in there:)

Joseph

RE: How do ya'll carry your plane in the back ?
 

Fly straight in... I haven't tried that...
With the Mazda when leaving the field, closing the deck was a big event. As the dampers for the lid didn't work anymore, I used a broomstick (illustrated) to hold it open. Pulling that out and letting the lid settle with a thump was always an attention getter.... :)
Simon at the LHS says that when he was in England, he'd flown and lost a free-flight.. while packing up to go home, it returned... INTO the trunk (boot, in english words)!
And the Mazda has a dent in the frame of the deck lid where a sloper smacked into it.. fast enough to dent structure.. man, that's FAST!!! :)

RE: How do ya'll carry your plane in the back ?
 

The heap method!!! LOL!!!!!!!! :D Try putting in an Arrow, Twist and 2 meter sailplane into the back of a Geo Metro (affectionately called the half car by the family)!!! Include your field box, tool box, 2 trannys etc. Makes for some finger pointing by other drivers on the road!!!

Dave...

RE: How do ya'll carry your plane in the back ?
 

Check back later, I drive a Ford Expedition (well the wife does) anyway and I just made a really cool PVC 3 plane holder for it. Makes for easy safe transport. I'll post a pic tomorrow evening after getting home from work.

RE: How do ya'll carry your plane in the back ?
 

I haul my stuff in the wife's SUV. I picked up 2 adjustable shower curtain rods at the hardware store and covered them with 1" foam pipe insulation. They have rubber tips and adjust to fit the cargo space. I lay the fuses and wings on them and store field box and and other stuff underneath. Works great.

RE: How do ya'll carry your plane in the back ?
 

Great ideas so far, Thanks for the help. Keep'em coming!!!!

RE: How do ya'll carry your plane in the back ?
 

I transported a 1/4 scale Hanger 9 Taylorcraft (85" wingspan) and an assembled Sig Ultimate Fun Fly, with all the associated equipment to the flying field in a Ford Probe. It resembled the heap method. The guys at the field were suprised to see the Taylorcraft come out of the back of the Probe.

RE: How do ya'll carry your plane in the back ?
 

Now I know where Tower gets their merchadise for the "Scratch and Dent" page!lol

RE: How do ya'll carry your plane in the back ?
 

I'm loving the "heap method" Just one question. Did you do this to my garage???????

RE: How do ya'll carry your plane in the back ?
 

And This??

RE: How do ya'll carry your plane in the back ?
 

I used to carry my planes on a plyboard that had hooks and tie-downs placed on it that I could fasten my planes on, but now I have a tonneau cover on my truck and I simply pile stuff in and not worry about it.

RE: How do ya'll carry your plane in the back ?
 

Hey Edwin, is that engine hoist (in your pix) for your models, too?. I use the same system you've got , making the carrier/cradle for each plane. I found PVC sched.40 is best of all the plastics, seems to have least flex.

I found out the hard way that you need to tie the tail to the carrier, somehow. I was on the way to the field one day,had my plane in back of pickup, in its cradle with the tail at the front of the bed, had done this a dozen times, no problems, and pass a trnsfer truck (on the 4-lane, 65mph) looked in my mirror to see if I was clear to move over, just in time to see my plane's tail flip up in the air and come down across the tailgate. Almost broke it in half just forward of the tail feathers. I was afraid it would blow out of the truck and get crushed by the 18-wheeler before I could pull over. So now I secure everything with mini bungies and rubber bands.

The tonneau cover sounds good, too. I got stuck at the field once when a T-storm came up. Rained for 2-hours past dark, plane too big to fit in back seat.

RE: How do ya'll carry your plane in the back ?
 

I have a camper shell on the back of my truck. I fly giant scale, so the engine hoist was handy. <g> I dont have my big truck tools anymore, got rid of them. Had back surgery in feb. this year which put an end to any more wrenchin on big stuff from now on. Surgery cured me (3 fused vertibre S1,L5,L4) I am pain free and it was worth every penny of it. Just dont tell the dr cause it was a ton of money. So I'm not allowed to do any more heavy stuff.
Edwin

RE: How do ya'll carry your plane in the back ?
 

the answer is-- the same manner in which you sandwich everything in the work shop. there's always room for one more. just don't invite the wife to join you. dick