Want to go flying with your RC planes, but your local hobby strip is too far away for a quick trip? Why not build your own runway with RC construction toys to do the clearing, and leveling.
You’ll need a large area of course, depending on your particular aircraft model.
The main consideration is runway length. I know of one NITRO plane that takes up to one thousand feet just to get off the ground.
And you’ll want to provide for an even longer distance for landings. Some pilots take more space for that. Especially when they’re learning to fly, and increasing their experience levels.
For most planes 400 feet is plenty long enough though. Just make sure when you design your runway that you factor in the longest distance requirements for all the airplanes you plan flying off of, and on to, the airstrip.
Plan for a minimum 30 feet to 50 feet wide runway. That’s a good average width for most models. Of course you’ll need to build wider if you fly the bigger planes.
Next decide what type surface you want for your runway.
If you just want a grass airstrip all you need provide is the effort of keeping the grass short. The longer the grass, the more friction the plane feels. Long grass slows the plane down creating longer runway requirements.
Leave that grass too long, and you’ll never get off the ground.
To make the mowing effort easier, and fun, why not build a remote control lawnmower? You keep your runway ready for flying, and get in some RC hobby time too.
If you want a more functional runway you need a concrete or asphalt (or a mixture of the two) surface.
This is where the remote control hobby fun really starts.
First you need to remove the sod. Do that with the RC excavators. Pile the sod up on little pallets, and load those pallets on to semi flatbed trailers with forklifts. The semis can haul the sod away for landscaping work elsewhere.
Use the excavators to level any elevated ground along your runway area, and dig the runway foundation. Excavators do the rough leveling chores. As you remove the dirt empty it into your dump trucks for removal.
Power up the front loaders, and let them do the finer leveling work. You don’t need perfection here. Just make the base of the airstrip smooth enough to make pouring the concrete, or laying asphalt, easier.
Haul the concrete in with remote control cement mixers, and/or the asphalt with dump trucks. Fill your foundation with the surfacing material, smooth it, and let it set up.
Over time turn your flying facility into a full remote control airport with control tower, terminal, concourses, and roads in and out for your cars and trucks.
This project gives you hours of fun with your RC construction toys, and the fun continues after the build completion when you start flying your RC planes.
