Mike,
Gavin uses a bit of clear plastic, coated with glue (usually white glue or Matt Medium) and dips it into a jar of small plastic beads.
Gino,
All of the divers touch at some point. Gavin usually inserts a small wire into each figure and uses that to mount them to the base. In this case, a hole is drilled in the plane and the wire mounted there. This is just another way to make the dio more believable.