Transporting finished empennage components

[N546RV]

So I interviewed for a job with FlightAware in Houston this past weekend, and I've been told to expect a formal offer from them tomorrow. It would seem that I'm going to be relocating to Texas in the near future. Along with the usual joy (sarcasm) of moving, now I have the added complexity of moving an in-progress RV.

The empennage is done and hanging in my bedroom. Wing work has only progressed as far as assembling the rear spars, countersinking the main spars, and prepping all 783 wing ribs. I figure transporting all the wing parts in a moving truck won't be much of a problem, but the empennage presents an interesting challenge.

I was thinking of constructing some kind of cradle or crate to hold and protect them. Has anyone else done something like this?

[Dbro172]

Wrap them in foam egg crate

[N941WR]

Originally Posted by Dbro172

Wrap them in foam egg crate

Or bubble wrap. That worked well for me.

[rmartingt]

I moved a completed -7 empennage from Charlotte to Savannah. Borrowed my brother-in-law's pickup and built a box in the bed out of 2x4s and OSB, strapped it down with ratchet straps because the bed was only 6' long, and had some padding for the individual components.

On the drive up, I realized I'd constructed the ends of my box backwards, and it would be too short

So I pulled over in a parking lot and reassembled the box to the longest length I could make it, in front of an audience of confused grocery shoppers. When I arrived at the seller's house, I found that the stabilizer just barely fit in the box, with only 1/8" to spare. It turns out the padding I brought was insufficient, but the seller graciously gave me an old blanket he'd stored the parts in and was just going to throw out.

I'd suggest a crate of some sort to contain the parts, keep them from sliding around, and protect them from things being dropped. Eggcrate foam works, as do old quilts and sheets of styrofoam. Watch where the control horns go.

[azrv6]

I had completed the empennage, ailerons, and wings when I was transferred from CA to CT. The company was paying for the move which was handled by a major van lines. We fabricated a made-to-fit custom crate for each individual completed part (ex: wing, rudder, aileron, etc). Each part was double wrapped with bubble wrap and then secured in it's own crate. I was there when the parts were loaded on the truck, and had a conversation with the driver to make sure he understood the importance of the contents. Everything arrived in great shape. The fuselage jig went on the truck also.
The crate's were made by the moving company. A group that makes crate's for international shipments for the moving company came to the house, measured all the completed parts, accounted for the thickness of double bubble wrap, then made the crates and came and packed them. Fortunately, the company paid for all of this.

[6 Gun]

Egg crate foam and cheap moving blankets from Harbor Freight
Bob

[flion]

When I moved from Chicago to Flagstaff, U-Haul gave us the oldest truck in their fleet. I put my completed wings in it in a cradle near the front, along with Judith's Harley Sportster, secured both with lots of straps, and then packed everything else we had around them to the back. There was one of those over-the-cab spaces (I forget the term) and I stacked all the empennage parts up there, wrapped in moving blankets and secured with bungie cords. No problem, except for nursing a truck across country that consumed oil in terms of MPQ (miles per quart). One of the casters on the wing cradle shattered (they were old rubber anyway) but all RV parts made it fine.

[N546RV]

Originally Posted by azrv6

I had completed the empennage, ailerons, and wings when I was transferred from CA to CT. The company was paying for the move which was handled by a major van lines. We fabricated a made-to-fit custom crate for each individual completed part (ex: wing, rudder, aileron, etc). Each part was double wrapped with bubble wrap and then secured in it's own crate. I was there when the parts were loaded on the truck, and had a conversation with the driver to make sure he understood the importance of the contents. Everything arrived in great shape. The fuselage jig went on the truck also.
The crate's were made by the moving company. A group that makes crate's for international shipments for the moving company came to the house, measured all the completed parts, accounted for the thickness of double bubble wrap, then made the crates and came and packed them. Fortunately, the company paid for all of this.

Interesting. I never considered that a moving company would fab up crates for the parts.

The impending job offer is supposed to include some kind of relocation, but I don't yet know the details. Nor do I know what to expect, as I've never had anyone pay me to move before.

I had thought about a moving company, but honestly I'm enough of a control freak that I think I'd rather get a big Penske truck and do everything myself.