FAQs
1) How does it work?
The propeller is attached to the pedal shaft with a belt and pulley system. It spins fast enough to make it look incredibly real in action, but won’t hurt if a hand gets in the way. The propeller is light weight plastic and features break-away spinners on the Mustang and Tomahawk.
The plane is turned using a series of linkages connecting the control stick to the tailwheel. It will turn with about an eight foot diameter.
2) How big are they? Will my child fit?
Our planes are designed for the average 3-6 year old pilot-in-training. The cockpit is about 10 inches wide and 8 inches deep for all three models. The wingspans are 50-55 inches and about the same from propeller to the rudder.
3) How long does it take to build one?
The Mustang and Tomahawk can be built in about 10-15 hours, then another 10-20 hours to paint and decal depending on the model you choose.
The Stearman takes a bit longer at 14-20 hours and another 15-25 hours to paint and decal.
**Note that these times do not include the time spent reading the instructions and waiting on glue or paint to dry**
It is basically a good two to three weekend project.
4) What is included with the kit?
Every piece of hardware necessary to build one plane including the wood, steel, aluminum, wheels, and every nut, bolt and screw. It also comes with your choice of decal sets. The instructions come on a compact disc with detailed pictures of every step of the assembly process.
5) What is NOT included with the kit?
The kit does not come with glue, paint, primer or paint supplies (brushes, masking tape, sand paper, rags, etc.)
6) What tools will I need?
Common tools you probably already have in your garage: screw drivers (phillips & flat head), 1/4’ wrench or crescent wrench, hand saw for straight cuts, hand drill with 1/8’, ¼’ and 3/16’ bits, a 20’ bar clamp and a clothes iron. A palm sander helps with the paint preparation, but is not required.
7) How difficult is it to build?
It’s much easier than it looks. Yes, you can build this plane. The written instructions are very detailed with about a hundred pictures on the cd so you see exactly how it looks in process and when that assembly section is complete. The parts are individually labelled to correspond with the instructions. Most of the hard work is done for you - your job is to have fun and enjoy it!
8) Can I buy the plans only?
Sorry, our kits have proprietary pieces that the average do-it-yourself'er would not be able to replicate without considerable time and expense. We won’t sell plans for planes that you could not build yourself.
9) Do you ship internationally?
No not at this time.
9) Can I buy parts separately from a kit?
Yes, please see the "How to Order" page. Please note that we do not sell parts for other manufacturers. We only produce and sell parts for our kits as our parts are not interchangeable with other pedal planes. However, our decal sets will generally fit other planes and we sell decals by the sheet.