A trailer? Really?
So, now that I have planes ready to fly I soon have another problem. Transporting airplanes to Gizzie Field. I was also experiencing hangar overpopulation; as my son overtook my shop and relegated me to the garage. A problem for certain but one only a flyer can appreciate. I noticed a few club members with trailers so I started investigating the option. I scrounged around FaceBook and stumbled on a group “Show Your RC Trailer Setup”. To shorten the story I bought a used 7″ x 14″ Doolittle from a good friend and this fall I undertook an overhaul.
Started with a good broom, applying Kilz to the stains, removing the wall panels, adding insulation and a coat of white paint brought near life to the trailer. All the while considering how I want to store, stack, hang, secure, etc my planes. I am prone to overthinking things, looking for the perfect setup, but soon acknowledged the need to simply start and over time I can simply make adjustments. I opted for shelves (and the floor) for larger plans, wall hanging for intermediates, and a rack to hold biplanes.
Complete with oil stains 
You can see where I buffed the lower left corner and found shiny paint 
Pulled the walls and added insulation 
Pulling the walls. Sprayed the surface rust on the frame rails. 
Amazing what white paint will do for something
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The white shelf material is PVC. A 4’x8′ sheet set me back $100. After ripping into 2’x8′ shelves, I stiffened the shelf material by cutting a dado in 1″x3″ PVC trim pieces and glued them to the shelf edges.
Three brackets were used on each shelf obtained from Amazon. Each bracket releases so the shelf folds down should I want wide open space. This was a test fit for the Cessna and Edge. Notice the cabinets in the nose…I preferred more space for planes and removed them later in the build. Also, notice the carpet tiles from Home Depot are in the boxes.
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Here you can see the planes secured. The Edge sits on Sullivan chocks while the Cessna is held by loops run thru holes in the shelf. The 1/3″ Cub is secured to metal loops on the floor. The wall hangers are actually using Sullivan Chocks so the weight is carried on the axles and not by the empennage. The shock cord around the tail simply holds the tail wheel lightly against the wall. The orange paracord between the shelves and the floor is used to reduce any up/down bouncing so as not to fatigue the shelf brackets. I built a wood shelf unit in the nose for three of my biplanes and secure with paracord. Leaving me with nine aircraft in the trailer and room for others on the floor.
Electric Power and Lighting
While not shown in the current photos I have a 12v battery where the tire is sitting. On the wall I mounted barrier strips and a DC-to-AC inverter. (At some point, I will need a larger inverter if I want to charge LIPOs) So I have both 12VDC and 110VAC run along the floor, under the wall hangers, junction boxes allowing me to charge RX batteries and transmitters from anywhere. Currently there are a few battery-powered LEDs for the interior but will eventually tie those into my 12v source.
There is more to be done. Most small stuff and cosmetic. Once the weather warms up you are likely to see a Part 3 of this saga.
