Ultimate Maintenance-Free Stand

Is it time for an upgrade at your club?

Tye Tomchak [email protected] | Photos by the author

This shows all 10 newly finished stands at the Desert Eagles RC Club.

A rear underside view of a completed stand.

This is the underneath rear of a completed stand.

I don’t know where your club "stands" with airplane stands, but the Desert Eagles RC Club in Idaho Falls, Idaho, had seven airplane stands, all of which were different because, at various times, members saw the need for more, so they took it upon themselves to build them.

In effect, the club had seven different styles of stands. They were all made out of wood, and always needed painting or extra screws to tighten them. The wood stands were all so heavy. When the need for more stands arose, the club decided to standardize the design. Making them maintenance free was also a top priority.

Two of our stands had a metal frame but a wooden top. These stands started as a base for the new ones. We removed the wood top and wondered what to put on the top of the metal frame. I remembered that I had just redone my deck with composite decking. Before going ahead with composite decking, we tested it with glow fuel and gasoline to make sure it would not be compromised. The decking passed with flying colors.

Now we needed to make the metal maintenance free, so club member Jim Williams came to the rescue. He owns a frame powder-coating business. He powder-coated all 10 frames for nothing. He would not even let the club pay for materials.

To have 10 stands, we bought enough 1-1/4-inch square tube to make the other eight stand frames. Another member, Gary Dumont, came to the rescue. Using the two old metal-framed stands as a template, he cut and welded the tubing to make the other eight stands.

After the 10 metal frames were powder-coated, we needed composite decking. Lowe’s came to the rescue. The store had composite decking that was damaged on the sides and was willing to sell it to us at a reduced price, so after I made a few trips, we had enough to do all 10 stands. There were different colors, but we didn’t care.

After we installed the composite decking with decking screws, we added wheels to the stand so they could be easily moved. We added carpet on the uprights to prevent wing damage. By using decking screws, damaged decking can be easily replaced. The heads of the decking screws were countersunk for a smooth look. The new stands were also lighter than the old wooden ones.

After the stands were finished, a member bought 1-1/4-inch square plastic plugs to go in the stands so that wasps and mice cannot get into the tubing. The cost was approximately $90 per stand, but remember that the powder coating was free and we got a reduced price on the decking.

We applied for, and received, a $300 Flying Site Improvement Grant from AMA. Out-of-pocket for the club was $600 for all 10 stands.

If you decide to make these kinds of stands, I highly recommend that you go to the extra expense of powder-coating the frame and installing composite decking. You will not be sorry.

Thanks to Jim Williams, Gary Dumont, Arlen Beall, and Jim Dokos for making the stands become a reality. These stands will last for generations to come.

A front view of one of the finished stands.

This is a side view of a finished stand.

This shows the bare frame before the powder-coating and decking.

Ultimate Maintenance-Free Stand measurements