Rob Erdos

Rob Erdos

Well Known Member
Folks,

I live in Ottawa, Canada and I have been looking at projects that are located elsewhere in North America. A few are nearly completed airframes that seem like a good deal, but are located thousands of miles from home. I'd like to pursue one of these, but I am at a loss on the best way to bring it home. Any suggestions or experiences related to packing and shipping an RV airframe? I'm looking for advice on safely preparing all of that lovely aluminum before I turn it over to a trucking company.

Thanks,

Rob
 
SHipping

Morning,
I had Tony Partain deliver a quickbuild fuselage, standard wings and empenage for me. I live in Alberta, the kit came from Houston, Texas. He did not come into Canada at that time, don't know if he does now, so I just had it delivered to Havre, Montana which is only an hour and a half from where I live. Everything worked out well, I would definately use him again and the price was good.

Lyle Clarkson
RV-9A
Finish Kit
 
Unless you use a specialist like Tony Partian, I would head down there yourself and rent a oneway uhaul, especially if the kit has already been taken out of the packaging. That way you can verify everything is bubble wraped or tied down properly, and you can pull over every few hundred miles and double check.
 
Penske Truck

I moved my -7A project from Wisconsin to Texas (about 1000 miles) using a 26 foot Penske truck. The project was on its landing gear and the wings were in a cradle. Took lots of precautions and tied everything down real well. Arrived with no damage. Can send pictures if you decide to go this route.
 
You can package it up and ship it but you will probably find the container cost prohibitive. I packaged up one of my kits for overseas shipment but it was very costly to get it over there. As others have suggested, either pay Tony to move it for you or rent a truck and drive it yourself are probably your best options.
 
Rob, my recommendation is that you have it shipped to a freight depot in Ogdensburg, then pick it up yourself with a trailer or truck that you own or borrow (not rent!). This will be a lot cheaper.

Also, you need to ensure that none of the sections of the project have been closed, or you will have to de-rivet to allow for the MDRA inspection.

Thanks, Vern

106_0658_1.jpg
 
Shipping a Project Cross-Country

Vern et al,

Perhaps I wasn't clear on one thing: I'm looking at a kit in Canada. I know what a PAIN it is to import a project into Canada. Our Feds will require you to take the skins off the wings and tail - yes, even a QuickBuild - to allow inspection of the interior workmanship. Unless anyone in Canada knows how to get around this, it just seems prohibitive to bring a project into Canada once any of the components are closed. Bummer.

Rob
 
The Cunning Master Plan

Guys,

I've looked at my options and decided to rent a Penske truck and drive the goodies home myself. The project in question is an RV-6 that is currently a completed airframe along with flight controls and associated bits.

I looked into a U-Haul truck in Canada, but they quote STUPID prices. Someone suggested that I look at Penske in the US, and their prices were very competitive. I pick up and drop of the truck in the US. I'll leave the fuselage on its gear and strap it down carefully. There should be enough room in the truck to lay the wings on the floor. My plan - tell me if this is a good idea - is to give the wings a few wraps of industrial bubble wrap, lay them on a sheet of styrofoam and then strap them to the floor. The controls surfaces, etc. will be bubble wrapped and put inside the fuselage.

It'll be a 5 day drive across Canada. Wish me luck...

Rob
 
Good luck

Good luck with the move. Depending on the size truck, there may be some Ottawa area builders that could lend you a wing rack. Take your time and pack it all well, tons of blankets and tie downs. Take lots of pics, its the beginning of pretty cool adventure.

Drilling open a few openings is no biggie. If you get a good mdra inspector, the hole can be VERY small just to let him ensure the rivets are set properly etc.

There are some great rvs and builders around ottawa. Hope you are tapping into that resource.
 
I've had good luck using king-size mattress pads from Wal-Mart to wrap the wings. They're cheap. Strap them to the walls, leading edge down. Don't lay them on the floor. This is asking for something to fall on them. I've moved a complete RV-6 in a 24' truck with plenty of room left over. Don't go less than a 20'.
 
try Partain

Rob Erdos said:
Folks,

I live in Ottawa, Canada and I have been looking at projects that are located elsewhere in North America. A few are nearly completed airframes that seem like a good deal, but are located thousands of miles from home. I'd like to pursue one of these, but I am at a loss on the best way to bring it home. Any suggestions or experiences related to packing and shipping an RV airframe? I'm looking for advice on safely preparing all of that lovely aluminum before I turn it over to a trucking company.
Thanks,
Rob
Click to expand...

not sure if Partain does Canada, but see recent thread here:
http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=61682
 
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