That's a great link, Mike. I had to scroll through it all. It spanned 3 years! Great pictures and ideas, along with some missing contributors.
Mike.
My You Tube
Never did listen to traffic control, although I don't fly anymore, I've been grounded. But on my railroads over the years I still like airplanes on the fields ready to take flight. I know it's crowded but you know what, it's my layout.
My planes are all 1:76 scale, slightly larger than HO but for me it works great for what I want.
I learned how to fly one of these, at Thule Air Force Base, Greenland, around 1970 while on tour. I had a ball and it's easy to fly. I've had this one for a long time and I set it up so it looks like it's just taking off.
It complements my little army post with all of the other equipment. Hey, as a retired Col. gotta have some military stuff on the railroad, makes it feel like home.
I do have a small, very small airfield, but for me it's fun and I can display some of my aircraft, all of which I built from kits, again scale 1:76 from Hobbly Lobby and Walmart. As I said the scale is close enough and when you paint, decal, and wheather them up a little they look good to me. The military trucks are from Rocco.
Robert Sylvester
Newberry-Columbia Line, SC
Many decades ago, I built a module for our local group and included just a few 10's of feet of a runway and it's connecting taxiway. I had a DC-3/C-47 sitting just off the runway with the props turning as slowly as I could manage. I use extremely small electric motors that were used in 'flip phones' to spin small lumps of lead. That's what the phones had for viberators!!! They were small enough to fit into the scale cowlings! WARNING: Be very careful around those spinning props!!
Not sure what happened to the aircraft, but the module is still in place! My opinion (no charge, of course) is an airplane suspended in mid air is much harder to believe than the giant hand "brakeman" doing coupling/uncoupling duties!! Both trains and planes "park", but aircraft need to move fairly fast, if they are to remain above the ground safely for any amount of time!!
Isaac:
Can definitely relate. Starting my layout – about 15 yrs ago – I was determined to have an airport. (In addition to being a “train nut” I’m also an “aviation nut.”) I had a lot of trouble finding HO scale aircraft, including going to lots of train shows and rarely seeing any. I wound up with 3 single-engine aircraft (from HO scale modeling kits), another diecast single-engine slightly larger than HO scale (forget where I got it), and a helicopter (also from an HO scale kit). Also have a Delta regional jet, somewhat larger than HO scale so I put it off the ground on final approach to the airport (so it’s not so obvious that it’s not true HO scale!). Remember: Real airplanes are, of course, many different sizes so you can bend the 1:87 rule somewhat, as long as something doesn't look obviously out of place. I wanted to attach some pics of my aircraft but I have virtually ZERO blog experience and am not yet set up to do that (sorry). I also decided I wanted some aircraft suspended over the layout, BUT (as one of the bloggers said below) scale doesn’t matter much once you’re “up in the air” and yes, smaller is better. Obviously, a 737 flying over your house is much smaller than seeing it on the ground. I wanted a Coast Guard C-130. I found a diecast one with excellent detail, but can’t remember what scale it is – it’s somewhat larger than HO but I compromised ‘cause it was so hard to find. I also have suspended above the layout an Apollo spacecraft, the Space Shuttle, and the Millennium Falcon from Star Wars. I intentionally hung these spacecraft much higher, conveying the idea that they are, well…“in space.”
All the best, Gary
Many good ideas and models here so far but for me........after 51 years as an A&P and A/C Inspector I definitely don't want to see any flying machines in my railroad room. My layout is used to get away from all that stress. However I do enjoy hearing an R2800 start up and run.
oldline1
Just a suggestion, if you have a farming area- a small lightplane, Cessna, Piper, Bonnaza, whatever, parked outside a barn, with a dirt taxiway leading off the edge of the layout, or behind a clump of trees. In my home county, there are a fair number of farmers, or other rural dwellers who have private facilities on their property. Only problen, most planes seem to be 1/72, or 1/144. rarely in 1/87.5. However, I STILL remember the days of carving my fingers...I mean carving small blocks of wood to make solid models of balsawood. Plenty of 3 views around on line to use.