Shoe Box Fit

katalyst

Junior Member
I have only returned to this hobby for the last 2 years (childhood dream :p ) and my only problem is I live in the city now. When i was a kid in the country it was easy to find fields of land, and you could go as big as you wanted. I don't have that anymore so I am craving a small stable airplane that also has some complexity.

I would like to see a 4 channel plane that can fit in a shoebox and be flown comfortably within the area of a smaller football or baseball field. Everyone says that tech is the reason drones have become so big, but everyone forgets the other reason is because they are small and can be flown in small areas. When 2 people live in a 700 square foot apartment, a plane with a 30" WS seems a whole lot bigger than it really is.

I also imagine a good many people outside the city would like a car friendly plane. Something that fits nicely in a smaller protective box (shoebox) thats kept in the trunk or back seat, and when you pass a nice park on the way home, hop out for 30 minutes to tool around. The more dramatic of an ordeal to go flying the less people will go. We live in an age of convenience, and drones have shown the importance of this. I want planes to do this also.

I am sure this topic has been brought up before, I saw one about motorcycles and flying, which this fits as well. I registered here just to get this off my chest. I am a big fan of the show and want to buy one of their planes, but I can't find one i feel comfortable with right now.
 

AkimboGlueGuns

Biplane Guy
Mentor
Check out the baby baron/brit (once the plans are released for the brit.) The wingspan is only 18 inches so it's pretty small and it can be built as a 4 channel. It's a pretty good sport plane and reasonably stable when you need it to be.
 

wittpilot

Just Plane Crazy
Also another good option are some of the Horizon Hobby ultra micros. They are small and made to fly in small areas and usually come in their own small carrying case!
 

Swanno

New member
The more dramatic of an ordeal to go flying the less people will go. We live in an age of convenience, and drones have shown the importance of this. I want planes to do this also.

I would tend to agree with that statement, I have on occasion decided to stay home over facing the possibility of crashing and having to walk to the park and back with a small bag, awkwardly carrying half my equipment in my hands.

A lot of the Flite Test mini planes are getting on the small side but the only one I would recommend for size while keeping it a 4 channel is their Mini Sportster which still looks pretty cool. Sadly here in Australia all I had to use to build one was Australian foamboard and the wing loading was too much for the Sportster to handle causing a broken tail... If you do end up going with a Flite Test plane this one seems like it would fit the bill.

It is about a shoe box long but the wings mean it will fit in about two shoe boxes so its not too bad.

I do now fly a versa-copter regularly but I will never totally switch to multi-rotors even if they are more convenient.
 
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katalyst

Junior Member
I honestly will probably cut out my own baby baron. It looks like the closest to what I am looking for. However I am still in the market for and think it would be a good product to have a plane that can be easily transported and stored. I can't tell you how often i take a sharp turn and hear the sickening crunch of something sliding in the back seat and smashing my airplane's tail. And like Swanno said, even the shortest walk can be so awkward with your plane in a bunch of chunks in your arms. I learned the hard way, backpacks can be BAD ideas ha ha.

I feel break apart wings and a foldable tail is where it's at. Even the smallest planes need big boxes because these planes aren't exactly space economical.
 

rcspaceflight

creator of virtual planes
I designed a slo-stick with wings that folded back. I pretty much built it but never flew it. But it had a 40-60" wingspan (I don't remember).

Maybe build some sort of small slo-stick with folding wings and a removable tail? Maybe even take a balsa square dowel, add some small round dowels as rubber band mounting points and rubber band the wings and tail to the stick. Hot glue popsicle sticks to the foam board so the rubber bands don't dig in. The servos will have to be glued to the tail for easy set up which will make it tail heavier, but just use a bigger battery.
 

FTstefan19

Moderator
Moderator
Hey Katalyst,

I would have to agree with the FT Mini Sportster option if you are looking for one of our planes to actually BUILD and fly. I believe it is our smallest 4-channel airplane that does not need a massive space to fly in. Other option could be the Sport Cub S. I hope that you find something that suits you and thanks for letting us know about your situation, I am sure you are not the only one and we definitely take notice and want to make this hobby even MORE accessible and convenient for EVERYONE!

Blessings,

S.O.
FT Team