After a good run with the pit box I started getting cut 2006 it
was time for a fresh look. The pit box served several design needs first of
which was starting the engine with the lid closed to keep out dirt and sand.
Next was a solid home for the necessities like tools fuel bottle syringes lines
etc. The box underwent a few revisions and then for a moment was the star of
the concourse contests with competitors adding wraps paint even lights and
speakers.
I did not want to change the
primary idea but with travel being a major part of flying these days I added
smaller and lighter to the design criteria. Allen DeVeuve came up with a much
smaller box that really looked sharp. I knew it was time to get to work.
With the original box 6mm
plywood Allen and I had discussed going to 3mm light ply for the smaller box to
save weight. Having access to a laser cutter it was a natural flow to design
the box in CAD and cut it out and see the final project. Around this time I
needed a new airplane bag and the shop asked if I needed any other custom bags
for F2D? Hmm wonder if they could make a custom bag for pitting? I could design
in all the right pockets and get the size right. All was doable so I sent the
specs to the shop. $120 Wow!, didn’t see that coming.
After a couple of web searches it looked like Wally World had a
cooler that was close to the right size. In person it was just right and for $7
even if it only lasted a few contests it was worth it. I adjusted the drawing a
little and decided to switch to 6mm corrugated plastic. Since the bag was going
to be “flexible” I wanted the liner to be mostly rigid but flex and bend
without breaking if it got smashed in transit or squashed in the back of a
packed rental car trunk. A little refitting due to the bag shape flexing but it
was coming together. The pockets are magic! Knowing that my small shim
container was in a pocket locked with a zipper and wasn’t going to fly out
during a match is really cool!
I can say that after switching to a soft bag it is tough to carry
a hard box. The pockets are very helpful and the smaller overall size travels
great! Looks like this will be the new direction I will continue with for the
near future.
Hey Lester, that's a neat idea. My son Andy and I used to fly with you every once in a while at Hobby Field back in 2010 or so. We were always impressed with the pit boxes you guys had back then. You carried only what you needed and nothing else. I noticed lot of fishing tackle boxes have gone from hard plastic shells to nylon bags.
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