W

WSBuilder

Well Known Member
My wing kit arrives in a couple of weeks and I'm starting to panic on how to best store the parts after inventory. I'm not the most organized type so I was wondering if anyone has innovative ideas they used?
 
You'd be surprised how little space it takes up when you unpack it all.

http://www.ballofshame.com/flying/rv-7/buildLog/20060322.php

THe vast majority of the kit fits on those shelves. The skins are just to the right. Some other miscellaneous parts are just to the left under the shelf (I left a bit of room there so I can stand shorter parts straight up and down.

The spars were just leaned against a wall inside my house (I have cathedral ceilings...YMMV. The large, flat wing skins were thrown behind a dresser in my bedroom. The only real PITA are the longerons. I put them along a baseboard in my living room.
 
Last edited:
I put everything except the spars, longerons and pushrods on a 2'D x 4'W 5 shelve storage system that I picked up at Home Depot. Everything barely took 4 shelves. I put the longerons and the pushrods on the rafters of my garage on bicycle hooks. Spars were put right to work, so no need to store them. Pics: http://rvplane.com/showthumb.php?picname=IMG_6146.JPG

Note that this is for a RV-7 wing kit.
 
Bill-

Here is what I did, and it's probably the lowest cost option out there, providing you have the wall space for it.



I cleared a space on the wall and used the crates the wing kit came in. I have low ceilings, so I had to cut the large rectangle crate and top down. After standing the crate up on end, some cheap hinges from Lowe's turns the crate top into a door, and then you have an outstanding "locker" to store your wing skins and wingtips. That long 15' box the longerons come in turned sideways turns into two 15' shelves! I set the longeron box on top of the "locker" and screwed the box bottom into a couple of studs and instantly had a bunch of shelf space.

Between those two things, and the shelves I built below my two work benches, everything was easily stored away in my tight working quarters. (Please disregard the pile of trash in the pics...)

This has worked great for me!!! Good Luck!!!
 
Is that all there is?

Alright, this was really helpful. Thanks, guys! Now I'm wondering if I'll think it was worth five grand!
 
WSBuilder said:
Alright, this was really helpful. Thanks, guys! Now I'm wondering if I'll think it was worth five grand!
Click to expand...

They're WINGS!! Think about where they'll take you someday!
 
Similar to Todd, I used the crate the skins came in for storage. I mounted hinges on one of the plywood panels so I could easily open and close it. I put the crate across two sawhorses and used the top surface for work space. I built my flaps and ailerons on that work surface.

The spars went behind the couch in the living room. Other long items were stored on "J" hangers mounted up high and out of the way.
 
I've sinned.

captainron said:
They're WINGS!! Think about where they'll take you someday!
Click to expand...

You're right...they're cheap at twice the price, given their worth. Hopefully, storing them will be less of an issue when I get my shop erected. I'm building a 40 x 50 modified-arch shop this spring...if I can pull away from building WINGS! But for now I'm in a very crowded garage, thus my question. Again, thanks for all the replies.
Bill
 
Attic

The small kit components are the least of your worries!!! I have to protect the bigger parts and finished assemblies from myself, family, dog, friends, etc. The attic is my solution. I have a big house with a dedicated shop that is seperate from the garage. Even so, I have still managed to mangle some parts. A 2 x 4 stud leaning up in the shop wall fell on my just completed rudder. A gallon of paint slid off a shelf in the shop and landed on a large box containing the wheel pants. No damage on that accident but there should have been. Wing skins leaning against the wall somehow get a minor ding. Enough I said!!! I enlarged the hole in the ceiling that leads to the attic. The completed empennage and big parts in waiting are safe up there. I crated my finished wings and took them to a warehouse owned by a friend. He forklifted them up onto a steel rack that is 18 feet from the floor. My finished fuselage is in the shop but I cover it up with padded mover's blankets. I am going to order a heavy canopy cover just to protect my pride and joy, just completed canopy from..... yes, myself!!!!

I can't wait to finally get settled in a hanger. :)

Brian Vickers, RV4, working on cockpit and panel
 
You must log in or register to reply here.