July 22 – I was in LA on a business trip when the quickbuild kits for wings and fuselage got delivered. Fortunately I have two strapping sons to provide the brawn needed to unload the parts. The driver, Mike, from P+M Express out of Bend, OR transported my parts together with identical QB kits for a fellow builder on the same trip – saved freight costs for both of us.
The pictures speak for themselves, as the well packed items came out of the trailer. Upon returning home, I did a quick evaluation for damage or problems. So far everything looks good, but the detailed inventory starts this weekend. I have 30 days from delivery to report any issues back to Van’s.
Eric and I have also done quick inspections of the professional workmanship provided by the factory against our own efforts. While certainly there are items I would like to redo, most of our work compares favorably. From a quality perspective I will not be ashamed to bolt my tailcone onto the Van’s fuselage base.
Here the truck is parked outside our rented shop space. Apparently the temperature was still in the high 90’s after 6:00pm when unloading occurred.
First item out is the cabin canopy.
Next the Lexan windscreen.
The fuselage section rolls out on a Van’s jig. After inventory is complete, I will build a similar jig out of wood.
I thought the shop was big, but these parts started to take up space quickly.
Wings stored overhead in the trailer.
Out come the wings – heavy and bulky. This required at least three people to man-handle without dropping.
Either jigs or a rotisserie will be constructed to hold the wings as well.