Adjustable Table

To prevent the legs from suddenly collapsing due to lateral impact, vibrations, or an uneven surface, drill a 3-mm-diameter hole in the center of the inside of each crossbar. Drive a 2.5-mm-diameter nail centrally into each end of a piece of round wood (e.g., a broomstick) of the appropriate length. Trim these two nails so that they each protrude about 10 mm.

To make the base that holds the helicopter blades, we need rectangular wooden boards, such as planed roof battens. We glue and nail these together to form a frame that looks like the one shown in Fig. 1.

The holes in the strips running across the table are spaced at the inner edges of the holes to match the outer width of the skids. Four wooden dowels inserted into the slats secure the skid frame against twisting, and the longitudinal slats along the front edge of the table secure the slat frame against lateral movement. If helicopters of different designs are to be mounted, additional blind holes must be drilled into the crossbars according to the width of their skid frames (Fig. 2).

Place the Heli with its skids between the four dowels and slide a piece of broomstick across its skids. Next, hook one end of a rubber strap from a luggage rack over the broomstick, thread the strap under the tabletop, and hook the other end of the strap over the other end of the broomstick. The Heli is now firmly secured in place. For added safety, place the toolbox on the crossbar at the bottom; now even an accidental bump won’t knock over the lightweight camping table.

Fig. 3 shows the entire setup fully assembled. If you also have a camping stool available, you can easily adjust the carburetor and measure the main rotor’s RPM. You can also check the main rotor’s alignment without having to assume the posture of a Muslim bowing toward Mecca. Not that I have anything against Islam… but sometimes the ground is wet and dirty. However, there is a risk of head injury if one carelessly attempts to stand up below the rotor plane. This applies to any type of launch box, though, and a reliable helicopter pilot will always be mindful of the danger posed by the spinning rotor.

Until next time, I hope you all have plenty of air under your rotor blades.

Ernst Bernet
, Weidstrasse 4a, 6300 Zug