Here’s an compact RC airplane storage rack that’s cheap and easy to make.  It’s so much better than stacking them in piles in the garage or spare bedroom.

Materials:

  • (2) 8 ft 2×4 boards for the legs and risers
  • (20) 12 in long, 3/4″ pegs
  • (1) 15 in 2×4 board for the top cross brace
  • (1) 12″x18″ plywood for the base
  • 3″ screws or nails

Build notes:

  • None of the dimensions are critical.  Feel free to resize any parts to fit your collection and available materials.
  • Cut each 8 ft 2×4 to make one 78 inch riser and one 18 inch leg
  • I cut the pegs from five 4 ft pieces of oak dowel.  You could use PVC tubing as well.  I may add PVC pipe insulation for padding
  • I spaced the pegs eight inches apart, but adjust as you see fit for your collection
  • The dowels are angled at about 10 deg, to keep the planes firmly against the riser.  I used a Forstner drill bit in a drill press to drill the holes, but a spade/flat bit would work too.  Regular twist drills may split the wood
  • Everything is held together with screws and/or nails. Some glue wouldn’t hurt
  • The risers could probably use some bracing, but doesn’t seem critical

Total cost for the project was about $40.  That’s $10 for the 2x4s, $20 for the dowels, plus screws and random wood bits.  I had screws and plywood scraps lying around.

The rack can hold nine or ten planes, depending on their shape and how they’re arranged.

Enjoy, and good flying!

M. Okincha