Moving a plane?

[s_tones]

I'm just curious;
I've seen a few RVs completed to the point of wing attachment in people's garages. How do these folks transport an airplane with its 25ft wings to the airport?

S_tones

[DaX]

It looks like most people get a flatbed tow truck to pick up the fuselage (no wings) and take it to the airport for final assembly in a hangar. The wings and remaining parts are then brought in a Ryder truck or something similar. This is just from reading a few guys' build pages.

[pierre smith]

A friend has built half a dozen RV's and the autobody painter comes to the airport with his rollback truck, tilts the bed and winches the airplane up and straps it down tight and goes to the paint shop. Reverses it all later and it's assembled already painted.

Regards,
Pierre

[s_tones]

So, is it feasable to complete the thing in your garage and get it down the highway on a truck? I see house trailers going down the road but I don't think they're 25' wide.

I know most don't do it this way but it looks like some do.

S_tones

[WSBuilder]

Originally Posted by s_tones

I'm just curious;
I've seen a few RVs completed to the point of wing attachment in people's garages. How do these folks transport an airplane with its 25ft wings to the airport?

S_tones

I plan to complete mine at home and if possible, fly it out of my 1000' pasture. If I decide to transport to the closest (grass) strip two miles away I plan to build a cradle for my flatbed trailer that holds the airplane in a steep nose down attitude, wing span fore and aft. My issue is hoisting and pivoting the airplane, safely, to load it on the trailer.

[Paul Thomas]

I've heard this second hand, but know the person who supposedly did it and do believe it happened as it fits the person in question and I trust the person who told me. The guy leaves 20 minutes from the airport. He restored a Cessna 02 and had it complete at home. Only problem is that his house is on one side of the city and the airport on the other side. He got a police escort and taxied to the airport. When they got there, they couldn't get in due to the fence, so they had to build a ramp the following weekend so that the wings would go above the fence.

I would have loved to see people faces.

[N941WR]

Originally Posted by s_tones

So, is it feasable to complete the thing in your garage and get it down the highway on a truck? I see house trailers going down the road but I don't think they're 25' wide.

I know most don't do it this way but it looks like some do.

S_tones

I think you are missing something here.

The planes are transported to the airport w/o the wings (or tail's in some cases) attached. They bolt on, so removing and re-installing them isn't a big deal.

After I fit my wings and did all the things they require, I removed them and as of two weeks ago, they are now in my hangar.

Trust me on this, you want those wings off as soon as you can because walking around them is a major PITA!

As for the wings, we brought them to the airport in the back of a pick-up. The 3, 4, 6, 7, & 8 wings will fit in a 6 1/2 foot pickup truck bed by the wings for a -9 I had to talk a friend into coming over with his 2006 F250 w/ an 8 foot bed, 10 1/2 feet with the tailgate down and the wings still stuck over the end.



Oh, and the flaps and HS went in the back of this truck as well because they stuck out past the lowered tailgate in my Titan "long bed" (6 1/2 foot).

Wrapping everything in industrial strength bubble wrap helped ensure a damage free ride.

[mrblob]

I moved from one airport to another (bigger better hangar, farther from the ocean and for less money... a no brainer) after I thought I was past the point of permanently mounting the wings. Turns out it only wastes about a day of work with two buddies to pull the wings back off, move the whole thing (towing company with a flatbed), and re-assemble it at the new hangar. The biggest pain was cutting all the wires and installing connectors when I put it back together. My advice, just take it apart, rather than risk all your hardwork by moving the thing assembled. You'll probably spend as much time figuring out how to load the truck as you would taking the wings off, anyway.

Paul
RV-7... oh, so close!
http://picasaweb.google.com/mrblobbyone/RVPhotos

[s_tones]

OK, thanks you guys.
It sounds like you can pretty much bring the plane to completion at home then, including fitting and then removing the wings if necessary at home.

I'm asking because, though still a lurker, I hope to do this eventually.
It is important to me that I can avoid as much hangar-build-time as possible since the driving to and from the airport would remove me from the proximity of my family.

I still have to get over this other hump; I have a very fine Archer that I really enjoy flying and she's gonna have to go in order to finance the build.
Ouch!

S_tones

[n5lp]

Originally Posted by mrblob

...You'll probably spend as much time figuring out how to load the truck as you would taking the wings off, anyway.

Paul
RV-7... oh, so close!
http://picasaweb.google.com/mrblobbyone/RVPhotos

You 7 guys sure have it easy . I never ever want to take off my 6 wings again. Seems like it is on the order of 80 bolts or so, and a bunch of them are difficult.

I transported my airplane without the wings, but I had never completely installed the wings in the shop.