How to Make an Aircraft Stand for Less Than $8

I’m sure everyone has seen the blue foam aircraft stands at flying fields on occasion. To me, they looked pretty good and obviously did the job. I figured they were pretty inexpensive as they are just three pieces of molded foam. Off to the hobby shop to get one, there on the shelf was my prize of molded blue foam. I check the price and whammo—$30 for some foam!

I figured $10, maybe $15. But clearly I was a victim of sticker shock. There I was deciding if the convenience was worth the money or if I should come up with something myself. Maybe it was the cheapskate in me or the thought that I could do it better, but I put the foam one back. Here is my design: total cost less than $8.

Tools Needed:
    • Hacksaw or plastic-pipe cutter
    • Drill (preferably a drill press)
    • A 1-inch drill bit

Parts:
    • One 5-foot and ¾-inch Schedule 40 plastic pipe
    • Two ¾-inch plastic crosses
    • Four 45° plastic elbows
    • One package ¾- or 1-inch foam pipe insulation
    • One bottle plastic-pipe glue
    • Four 2-inch wood or sheet metal screws

Start by cutting the pipe to dimensions out-lined below:
    • Eight 5.5-inch sections
    • One 4.5-inch section
    • One 21.25-inch section
    • Cut the 4.5-inch piece in half length wise.

Drill a 1-inch hole in the center of each plastic cross. Do not drill all the way through; just through one side. Enlarge the hole a little by wallowing the drill bit. Test fit a section of the pipe to ensure a snug fit. If the fit is too tight it will crack the cross.

You should now have a kit that looks like this:

Time to start building.
Glue the 5.5-inch pipe sections into the bottom two points of the plastic crosses. Then glue the 45° elbows to the bottom of the pipe sections to make the feet. Make sure the elbows are straight and flat to each other. Then glue the remaining 5.5-inch sections to the remaining two holes in the plastic crosses. Do not use the hole that you drilled in the previous steps. Make two of these.

Take the 21.25-inch pipe and insert it into the hole that you drilled in one of the crosses. Gluing this piece is optional dependent on how snug the fit is.

Do the same at the other end of the 21.25-inch pipe section. It should look like the pictures.

Now take the 4.5-inch sections of pipe and center them into the top of the crosses. Drill a hole on each side to fit your screws and screw them into place. Do not tighten too much; snug is just right.

Once you have these placed, it’s time to put the pipe-insulation foam in to hold the airplane in place. Cut the foam to fit your cradle, and place it on top of the cradle as shown in the picture. You can either glue it in place or put tie wraps at the ends. Now it’s all done!

Options:
You can add two small bungee cords to hold your airplane in place.

Ace Hardware has rubber-cane feet that can be put over the elbow feet of your stand. 11/8-inch size fits snugly. 