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Administrator's Note:

Since Tim's initial post below, this project has made headway. If you are interested in participating, please read this full thread. To see our world tour planning map, click HERE
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Hi all, to celebrate SFA breaking the 1000 member mark I brought up the idea of a world tour over in the party thread.  The idea seems to have picked up some steam.

The basic idea is that a single model airplane will be built and passed from one volunteering member to the next, each person flying it once and sending it on its way again.

So here's what has been brought up so far:
>Starting in the Oshkosh area the plane would make an attempt to head east around the world, ending its journey in Oshkosh.
>Some kind of log book will be sent along to record pilot's name, location, flight time, etc.
>The first and last 'official' flights should be made by Smallfly.
>Someone familiar and experienced with customs should be the one to ship it from one country to another.
>A sturdy yet easy to open and unpack or seal and repack container will be needed.

My thoughts:
>This model will have to be very simple and sturdy, foolproof in flight and should probably have a commercial prop and bearing in case it needs replacement.
>A cardboard shipping tube is probably best suited to a rolled up logbook but the plane will have to be made to come apart and pack into the tube.

Does anyone have experience shipping completed model airplanes?  How did it work out for you as far as things like cost, handling and survival of the plane were concerned?

Let me know what you think, I have nothing against a long discussion before setting out to do this thing as I want to see this thing go off without a hitch and planning couldn't hurt.

Lastly, since it will be well documented, could this qualify as some kind of world record?

-Tim

Quote:

How interesting!
I'd be honored to perform the first & last flights (baptism and last rites?) for such a world tour. A special forum thread could be dedicated, and members from around the world could post photos of the model in flight - perhaps even with some famous landmarks in the backround!

Seems advisable to chart out the journey before it starts. I know we've got members in Australia, various European countries, Canada, South America, Japan, India, the Phillipines, and Africa... so a thorough tour seems plausible. Let's hear from members in the Far East who'd like to be involved!

By the way, the SFA Member Map will be a nice tool for this project. 

B

Try a pic post

I'm in, of course, and if it's in May it could be in Czechoslovakia, of course we have other SFAers there too.
Super idea. How perfect for the 1000 celebration.

I'm in!
Only two concerns
    1)  the model can't fly too good! OOS would put a damper on things.
    2)  potential repairs.  If it flys at the end, its a winner.

I'm in a great location for transporting from USA to Canada (or vise versa) if that aids in shipping and borders. 
Bruce

>We use these cases for work. 

That with a 12" inner dimension - suitable for a CT of that span - weighs 8lbs.  Airmail postage/shipping costs would be astronomical ....

A mini-CT sounds good.  However a 12" all-balsa glider might be an alternative to consider - clip or band on wing, band  on tail surfaces ... no prop, u/c, motors, etc. to pack and maintain ... a handglide in the back yard  or basement could satisfly the flying requirement if weather or location was unsuitable. Just a thought thrown in... not a firm suggestion.

I just took some measurements and found that a 12" span Cloud tramp would fit inside a 5" diameter tube as long as the wings and landing gear were removable.
Would it be advisable to run thread around the flying surfaces to prevent splitting and dope the plane for weatherproofing?

-Tim