So, today was supposed to be a great day - move the aircraft to the hangar for final assembly. A colleague loaned me a trailer but, unfortunately, it wasn't quite wide enough. So, I decided to take off one gear leg and build a dolly to transport it. It worked out really well until we were half way up the trailer. At that stage, we had to remove the dolly because of the geometry with the trailer ramp. I had some big strong boys so we thought we could support the weight temporarily. Unfortunately, as we moved the aircraft up the trailer, it tipped back suddenly under the weight and we lost control. The aircraft tipped off the side of the trailer and ended up on its side in the driveway.
I was just speechless - my beautiful fuselage dead in my drive......
With an engine hoist, we managed to get it back upright and with more care and support got it on the trailer and to the airport.
So what was the damage?
- Left step slightly bent - easily fixable provided the underlying structure hasn't been bent
- Some scuffing on the left door Perspex - should polish out OK
- One rocker cover bent - new one OK provided it hasn't damaged the valve gear underneath
- Worst looking is the front fuselage skin behind the lower engine mount. An area about 6" by 4" is buckled. Looking at it, I don't think the underlying structure is damaged (probably one of the strongest parts of the aircraft). If so, I should be able to splice in some new skin with a doubler.
All in all, it could have been a lot worse. We managed to control the fall and it more sort of rolled off rather than dropped. I have had a couple of stiff drinks and will go back tomorrow to check it out closer and make sure I haven't missed any other damage.
So, beware. When you move your aircraft, it is a lot heavier and more cumbersome than you think. Make sure everything in chocked and blocked so it can't move. Don't think you can support anything by hand however strong your team. I wouldn't want anyone to go through what I have today.
I was just speechless - my beautiful fuselage dead in my drive......
With an engine hoist, we managed to get it back upright and with more care and support got it on the trailer and to the airport.
So what was the damage?
- Left step slightly bent - easily fixable provided the underlying structure hasn't been bent
- Some scuffing on the left door Perspex - should polish out OK
- One rocker cover bent - new one OK provided it hasn't damaged the valve gear underneath
- Worst looking is the front fuselage skin behind the lower engine mount. An area about 6" by 4" is buckled. Looking at it, I don't think the underlying structure is damaged (probably one of the strongest parts of the aircraft). If so, I should be able to splice in some new skin with a doubler.
All in all, it could have been a lot worse. We managed to control the fall and it more sort of rolled off rather than dropped. I have had a couple of stiff drinks and will go back tomorrow to check it out closer and make sure I haven't missed any other damage.
So, beware. When you move your aircraft, it is a lot heavier and more cumbersome than you think. Make sure everything in chocked and blocked so it can't move. Don't think you can support anything by hand however strong your team. I wouldn't want anyone to go through what I have today.