Ok I am building a (2)…4 by 12 n-scale layouts joined by a river with a few boats and a beach…custom of course and I would love to have a small airport…I cant find any helicoptors or a nice looking plane not a jet airliner…anyone know where i can find some airport details??i tryed ebay but got no were in N-scale…
Hi!
You could check out Walthers online, or go to a hobby shop that has model planes. Keep in mind that typically, model planes will designate scale ratio, rather than N or HO or O or so on. I believe N is 1/187 (not positive), so I would look for something close to that.
Also, a realistic airport could take up a lot of space, or of course you could just have the “edge” of it on your layout.
ENJOY,
Mobilman44
See the Ridge Soaring Gliderport just west of Penn State University (PA’s geographic center) in the Bald Eagle Valley for a layout idea. You would need a simple landing strip, an office building or two, a handful of gliders, and one small “Piper Cub type” of airplane.
I haven’t been a model railroader in years, but saw this post enroute to another forum. I am an aviator however, and estimate you would need a minimum of the scale equivalent of 1 sq. mile to replicate a small general aviation airport.
I think most models of small private aircraft and helicopters are larger than N scale. You’re usually looking at desktop models for these type aircraft. Just roughly comparing a locomotive to these size aircraft, and knowing the size of N scale, these aircraft would be very small.
highwayman9674,
the German company Herpa makes some true N scale air planes,but the bigger planes are 1/200 scale, which should also work. Have a look at their web page here !
Unfortunately, the models are a bit pricey!
The best way to, “Model,” an airport is as a photo mural on the backdrop. Even a ‘small’ aircraft hangar is a BIG building by model railroad standards. A credible runway would be at least 20 feet long in N scale, while commercial jets wouldn’t be happy with much less than 60 feet.
IMHO, the real killer is that, even if there is rail service to the airport (or Air Base) the tracks don’t go anywhere near the flight line. They serve the warehouses of the supply depot, or possibly deliver tank cars to the fuel racks in POL storage if the airport isn’t served directly by pipeline. Neither has any particularly ‘airport’ look.
Modeling an airport ‘in the round’ is like modeling a sports stadium or race track - it eats up a lot of space that could be put to more appropriate ‘railroad’ use.
Of course, if you are actually modeling a town that just happened to have rail service, all bets are off.
Chuck (retired USAF flight line mechanic modeling Central Japan in September, 1964 - without airports)
Since you’re planning on a river scene, perhaps you could find a model of a floatplane. This would allow you to have a scale model aircraft on the water, and you wouldn’t need an airport at all. A small building with a “Flight Service” sign and perhaps a dock with a gas pump and tank would be all that kind of plane would need.
You might want to check on some old Micro Machines. They seem to be of various sizes… but closer to N scale than anything else. The price is sometimes pretty cheap. My son… now age 28 gave me his micro machines… and some are really nice. Good luck. I know you mentioned. smaller planes… but on ebay… some other larger planes go by pretty cheap.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260590790505&ssPageName=STRK:MEDWX:IT
You might go to a game shop that carries Role Playing Games, especially miniature war games. The game Wings Of War have military planes in 1:144 scale. With a little paint you could probably make a serviceable airport
Well i have the space i have 2 12x4’s in a L-shape ,so room dont matter but i would like to do a small airport not a large Int. one…i was thinking of taking a few mini pager motors and making the rotors spin of the heli. if i find one…and for the airplane i was thinking of a multi-prop and making the prop’s spin with the same kinds of mini motors …also i have a idea of making the aircraft taxi using a small micro trax system , but like i said i cant find any planes i like…i seen a few fighters but thats not fun…for a little airport…as the heli…its going to be on my hospital’s roof landed with the rotor’s spinning…thanks all for the help and as soon as i have some thing done i will take pics…
Hi
As a pilot I wanted to incorporate aviation into my railroad. After scaling an airport I decided that was not feasible.
My solution, scratch build. I found a pictures of a piper J3 Cub, scaled it down to “N” scale, and set it on a mountain lake on floats. I still have to build a hunting cabin. The lake would not allow for a real scale landing and take off but the effect looks quite good. [:-^]
Good luck
Lee
PS: If I remember correctly a Cub has about a 30’ wing span (for scaling purpose)
I thought I had some suggestions for how to work in a halfway believeable airport, but then I looked at your initial post again. OUCH!!! You want a beach and river and boats, AND an airport???!?
The beach and river and boats will already take some trickery to fit in a small layout-- expecially if it is a roundy-round with an oval rather than a shelf around the walls. I worked in a small shrimpboat harbor in about one foot wide and 6 inches deep against a backdrop-- but a lot of it is backdrop…
I forget— this is the station that was located ca 1920-1970 where Genoa-Red Bluff Road, running past the airport, crossed the GH&H tracks. About a block and a half distance from the airport. But no, the tracks did NOT run out to the planes… 
I was thinking small airport, single runway…maybe…but if all else fails I might go to HO-scale…I dont know yet…i am still building the bases from the 12x4 plywood planks…if the rain, the floods and the tornados will stop in Tenn…I will finish fast…